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Mike Gordan

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Everything posted by Mike Gordan

  1. Week 14: Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles On the opening kickoff, Kevin Miller was able to return it all the way for an opening 7-0 lead for the Vikings. After forcing a 3-and-out, the Eagles were forced to punt it. Miller returned the ball just passed the Vikings' 40. After giving the ball to Foreman a couple of times, Tarkenton then threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker, who caught it into the red zone. Foreman punched it in for another touchdown. The subsequent kicking team, however, allowed the Eagles to slip past their own 30. The Vikings forced another 3-and-out to end the first quarter. The Vikings are winning 14-0. The Vikings recovered a punt, and after a run play for no gain, Tarkenton threw it deep to Rashad into Eagles territory. Foreman then converted another 1st down, putting the Vikings into field goal range. Tarkenton then threw it down the middle to Sammy White, who ran it in for a touchdown pass. Our Kicking team then made sure the Eagles return had nowhere to go, and smothered them deep near their own endzone. Matt Mullaney then ran up the middle, forced a fumble against the Eagles' RB, and Bobby Bryant was able to return it to the endzone for yet another touchdown. We forced another Eagles 3-and-out, and Miller returned the Punt near our 30. Tarkenton then threw a dousey of an interception to Eagles CB Bewgey, who returned it to the Vikings 35. Still, the Vikings exploited the Eagles' easy-to-read Eagles playbook, and buried them to midfield, forcing another 3-and-out, and forcing them to kick a long field goal. In spite having the distance, it went wide left, so the Vikings got the ball back with 18 seconds to go. Tarkenton then threw a quick pass down the middle to Sammy White for a gain of 9, and took a quick timeout. The Vikings then kicked a field goal of their own, and they came up 31-0 at halftime. When the Eagles got the kickoff return, they made three Run attempts--one was smothered by Mullaney, while the other one got away from him, and ran it all the way close to midfield. Still, the Vikings defense stayed firm and forced them to punt from midfield, and Miller accepted the touchback. Tarkenton gave the ball to Foreman until he was forced into a 3-and-1. When he dropped back to pass, he found no one open and ran a few yards for the 1st down. Tarkenton then threw a pass to Sammy White for a first down, and the quarter ended. Score's still 31-0. Tarkenton ran it down the middle for yet another touchdown. The Vikings the buried the Eagles in their own enzone for a safety, but the Eagles recovered the onside kick. Jodorowsky then completed a pass to Carmichael for a first down. Montgomery then found an opening and ran it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown--the first touchdown in three games the Vikings had surrendered. But instead of going for the onside kick, the Eagles conceded defeat and kicked it deep to the Vikings' 15. Tarkenton then threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker while he was under heavy coverage, and converted it to a 1st down near the Eagles' 30. Tarkenton then threw another pass to Ahmed Rashad who ran it in for a touchdown. Mark Mullaney then buried Jodorowsky into his own endzone for a safety, and recovered the onside kick. On the final play, Chuck Foreman ran it all the way to the endzone to make the final score 56-7.
  2. Following most of Week 14, the Vikings, Broncos, Steelers, and Cowboys have all won their respective divisions. The Eagles have also clinched a playoff spot as well. Meanwhile, the Dolphins and Patriots are both tied for the AFC East at 10-4, and outside of those two, the Oilers (9-4-1), Raiders and Chargers (both 9-5) are also competing for Wild Card Spots. In the NFC, the Eagles are locked in, while the Buccaneers and Falcons (the latter, who is also competing with the Rams for the division title) are the likely wild card teams to join the Eagles, the Saints and even the Lions (in spite a 5-9 record) have not quite been eliminated yet. Still, the Eagles and the Vikings get to play each other. This match is important for both teams; the Eagles can lock up the top seeded wild card spot rather easily with a win, while the Vikings can remain in contention with the Cowboys for the division title (the Cowboys are currently 12-1-1, with their lone tie being against the Vikings). As the Vikings currently hold an 11-1-1, they must win this one to remain neck-in-neck for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, with both teams for sure clinching the first round bye (the Rams are 9-4-1, in spite having defeated both the Vikings and Cowboys earlier in the season). Yes, the Vikings and Cowboys are that neck-in-neck in all except point differential: The Cowboys have scored 362, but have surrendered 181 points. The Vikings, meanwhile, scored a gaudy 718 points while surrendering a mere 130 points. But the next two games are gonna be important--if I win both games, I'll win homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. Lose against either the Eagles, Lions or Raiders, and the Cowboys may come to take the division crown away from me. Speaking of which, the final game of Week 14 is gonna be Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Gotta win out to win homefield advantage throughout.
  3. Week 13: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers So the Packers got the opening kickoff, and in the opening play, Mark Mullaney was able to strip the ball from the QB's hands and recovered it at their own 1-yard line. Chuck Foreman was able to run it in for an easy touchdown. After forcing a 3-and-out, Tarkenton was able to work his offense down the field, handing it off to Foreman for another touchdown pass. The quarter ends after the Vikings forced another 3-and-out and Kevin Miller returned the Punt all the way to the Packers' 8-yard line. The score is 14-0. Foreman then ran the ball to the endzone for yet another touchdown. Bobby Bryant then forced another fumble and recovered it to the endzone for yet another endzone, making the score 28-0. Forced another 3-and-out, and then Tarkenton lead yet another drive down the field, and handed it off to Foreman for yet another touchdown. After I kicked the ball back to the Packers, I exploited their reverse play in order to force a fumble and recover the ball. Tarkenton then completed a touchdown pass to Sammy White, making the score 42-0 at halftime. After halftime, Miller returned the second half kickoff to midfield. Tarkenton then fought off some defensive linemen and completed a deep pass to Bob Tucker for yet another touchdown, making the score 49-0. Mullaney then forced a Safety, and the Vikings returned to kickoff passed midfield. Tarkenton then threw a pair of passes--one to Sammy White and another to Rickey Young for yet another touchdown, making the score 58-0. Mark Mullaney forced another safety, and Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Sammy White at the Packers' 15-yard line. Chuck Foreman punched it in to make the score 67-0. Forced another 3-and-out, and got the ball at the 20 to end the quarter. In the 4th quarter, Tarkenton put the entire game in the hands of his two running backs--mostly Foreman, but also Young as well. With a minute and a half to go, Foreman ran in for another touchdown to make the score 74-0. The QB finally completed a pass down the middle into Viking territory. The final play of the game was when Blair forced a fumble on the Packers' reverse play, and Doug Sutherland ran it all the way for a touchdown, making the final score 81-0.
  4. Week 12: Minnesota Vikings vs. San Diego Chargers I got the kickoff, but Kevin Miller doesn't seem to be feeling so good. Speaking of which, I was only able to gain 7 total yards rushing before going 3-and-out. And Punt returner Artie Owens was able to run it all the way to our own endzone for a touchdown (which, to my knowledge, has never happened before, like, ever, between me or any of the COM's in any iteration of Tecmo Super Bowl). Foreman ran it a couple of times to reach midfield, and with my passing attack already rendered useless thanks to San Diego's supped up secondary, had no other choice than to put it into the hands of RB Chuck Foleman. On the last play of the quarter, I handed it off to Rickey Young, who converted a 1st down at the San Diego 8-yard line. The Vikings currently suffer a deficit of 0-7. Foreman and Tarkenton fought for each and every one of those 8 remaining yards in order to tie up the game 7-7. I kicked off to Artie Owens, who I was thankfully able to stop at the Chargers' 30-yard line. However, knowing full well that Dan Fouts and the Chargers were gonna pass, Mark Mullaney had absolutely no trouble whatsoever running up the middle and sacking him repeatedly, followed up by a lousy punt from their punting team that helped Miller put this game squarely in the red zone. Chargers linebacker Gary Johnson continues to make Fran Tarkenton's life as a passer a living hell, however, since Tarkenton has yet to complete a single, solitary pass; all of his attempts either end with an incompletion or with a Gary Johnson sack. Still, with the legs of Chuck Foreman, the Vikings were able to score yet another touchdown. We then only surrendered a single 1st down to the Chargers on their next drive before forcing them to punt. And with 30 seconds to play, the only option remaining is to pass (if Gary Johnson were to let me). I was luckily able to throw a deep ball to Bob Tucker (thank goodness) that had put me to field goal range with 2 seconds to go. The field goal proves good, and now the Vikings are up 17-7 at the half. The Chargers got the second half kickoff, and in spite Fouts' receivers able to get open as well as an open run lane, the Chargers were 3-and-out and were forced to punt the ball away without converting a 1st down. I got the touchback, so I start at my very own 20. Tarkenton was able to avoid a Gary Johnson sack and fight off a couple other defenders and quickly threw deep to Rickey Young, who caught it in coverage! After a couple of run plays, Tarkenton then threw to a wide open Sammy White for a touchdown. Now up 24-7. I then smothered the Chargers' run game and forced a 3-and-out. Kevin Miller was able to get the ball near midfield. I ran the ball a couple times and let the clock run out. In the 4th quarter, Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker for a first down, and near the Chargers' 20-yard line. Tarkenton gave the ball to Foreman continuously, and eventually found the end zone. But the extra point was blocked, so the score is now 30-7 Minnesota. Mark Mullaney--who is proving his case as the game's MVP--continues to sack Fouts while the rest of the defense continues to blitz the running attack, eventually forcing a safety. The Vikings recovered the onside kick, and then Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Bob Tucker. Tarkenton then handed the ball off to Foreman, who pounded the ball to the endzone to make it 39-7 with under 2 minutes left to play. The Vikings returned the subsequent kickoff to their own 40-yard line. But Mark Mullaney and the Viking defense smothered the Chargers' vaulted offensive unit, limiting the Chargers to a mere 8 yards of total offense, all from a Dan Fouts pass attempt, and forcing a 4-and-out. Tarkenton then put the game in the hands of Chuck Foreman to run out the clock and clinch the game. The final score was 46-7 Minnesota, and the Vikings won the NFC Central.
  5. Week 11: Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears The Minnesota Vikings are the only football team that is remotely close to winning their division. To win this week, I will need a win and a Tampa Bay loss. Can the Vikings pull it off? A huge advantage that I can at least claim to have is that the Bears will be playing without Walter Payton due to an injury he suffered the week before. Well, I got a safety a minute in by basically shutting down Payton's replacement (it took forever just to bring the kick returner down in spite of the fact that he wasn't even going anywhere). Miller then recovered the kickoff and ran it to midfield where he was immediately tackled. Tarkenton handed the ball off to Foreman a bunch of times, but then when he initiated a pass play from the pocket, Tarkenton found all his receivers covered, but a huge opening down the middle and he ran for it for a first down & goal. Foreman ran down twice, falling short of the goal line. Then Tarkenton ran it down himself for a touchdown. After smothering the run, the Bears QB threw an interception. Tarkenton continued to hand the ball over or running it in himself, and with 2 yards to go before scoring, the quarter came to an end, with neither QB having completed a pass yet. The score is 9-0 Minnesota. Foreman ran it into the endzone for a touchdown, now up 16-0. The Vikings then forced a 3-and-out against the Vikings, and returned the ball to the 40-yard line. Tarkenton then completed his first pass to Rashad for a first down and well into field goal range. Foreman kept running the ball after that, then Tarkenton went for it himself for the touchdown. We then forced a 3-and-out, but when they went to punt the ball, the punter was tackled to the ground before he could kick it downfield, so now the Vikings have it at the Bears' 10-yard line! First immediate play in the Bears' possession, the QB was blitzed for a safety. And to close out the half, Kevin Miller ran the ball all the way to the endzone for a touchdown. The score is 39-0 Minnesota. Second half, Miller ran it to our 40-yard line, then Tarkenton threw a pass to a wide-open Sammy White. He threw another deep pass to White who barely caught it to get the ball to first-and-4 to the goal. Tarkenton then ran it to the goal line himself for a touchdown. We continue to force safeties as Miller delivered the ball past midfield. Tarkenton then continues handing the ball out to Chuck Foreman as the Vikings march down the field bit-by-bit. Tarkenton then threw a bombshell for a touchdown to Bob Tucker. RB Earl then fumbled the football, and Vikings linebacker recovered the ball and ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. Score is now 62-0. Vikings then blitzed Earl again, forcing yet another safety as the Vikings prepare their second straight shutout. I threw to a wide open Sammy White for a first down. Then Rashad catches Tarkenton's touchdown pass. We kicked it to the Bears and the quarter is over. Score's 71-0. And after yet another safety, Bears QB Bob Avellini went down to injury as well. But the Bears recover the onside kick. But we forced a 4-and-out, and Tarkenton threw to Rashad for a touchdown. Another safety, and the Vikings recovered the onside kick. Tarkenton threw to Tucker for a touchdown, bringing the score to 89-0. And then the Vikings recovered the fumbled kick return and now it's first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Tarkenton ran it in for a touchdown. We then kicked short to the Bears' return team. We forced a 4-and-out, and continued running the ball all the way to the Bears' 1-yard line, with less than 30 seconds to go. We kicked the field goal to make it 99-0 exactly, then we had the long kickoff that we allowed a sizable return in order to run out the clock and win the game. While RB Chuck Foreman's technically the MVP of the Cowboys game, and KR Kevin Miller is the MVP of the Lions game, the MVP of this Bears game is none other than Fran Tarkenton, who completed all of his passes for 220 yards, ran for 25 yards, threw four touchdown passes and ran for another 4.
  6. Week 10: Minnesota Vikings @ Detroit Lions The Lions received the opening kickoff, and RB King got a quick first down. Other than a quick pass to King for 8, the Lions were forced to punt away after back-to-back incomplete passes. Tarkenton then threw a complete pass to Rashad, who ran it near midfield. After going through the entire Cowboys game without completing a single pass, Sammy White then caught another Tarkenton pass for another first down, putting the team into field goal range. Another deep pass to Bob Tucker, and he is in for the touchdown. A 3-and-out against the Lions forced them to punt the ball to our 30, which Miller returned all the way into the Lions' 35-yard line. After yet another deep throw to Tucker, Chuck Foreman then ran it into the endzone for a touchdown. We then kicked the ball to the Lions' 8-yard line before the end of the first quarter. The Vikings are up 14-0--already with a hundred yards passing after failing to throw for that much against the Cowboys the week before. In the second half, we were able to score 9 points in under a minute, by blitzing both of Detroit's run packages for a Safety, and then Kick Returner Kevin Miller ran it all the way into the endzone for a touchdown. Now up 23-0. Another safety, and this time, the Lions kicked it deep, and kept Miller at the 20. But that didn't matter because Tarkenton continued throwing complete passes to his receivers, including a single solid run from Chuck Foreman. Tarkenton then threw a touchdown pass to Sammy White, bringing the score 32-0. Another Safety later, and Kevin Miller once again runs the ball all the way to the endzone for yet another touchdown, bringing the scoring total to 41-0. Rinse and repeat to end the half 50-0 and essentially clinching the game. In the second half, Miller took the team all the way to midfield. After Tarkenton threw a deep pass to Tucker, he then handed it off to Foreman twice for another touchdown, making the score 57-0. Our kicking team then buried the Lions' kick return unit to their 1-yard line, and easily scored the safety. Miller didn't get far, but we were still in field goal range when all was said and done. Same thing in our previous possession occurred, and we got up 66-0. Another Safety, and then Tarkenton threw another deep pass to Tucker, who ran it in for a touchdown, to go up 75-0. Another Safety, and now the Lions' defense had waken up, forcing the Vikings to run out the clock in the third quarter. The lead is 77-0. First play of the 4th quarter, Tarkenton threw a touchdown pass to Bob Tucker for yet another touchdown, going up 84-0. Mullaney forced yet another safety and took QB Danielson out of the game, replaced by backup Landry. The Vikings recovered the onside kick, and methodically drove downfield for the go ahead score. We forced another safety to go up 95-0, but the Lions were able to recover it. But we forced a 4-and-out by sacking the QB constantly, and stopping the run. I then gave it to the hands of Chuck Foreman, who ran it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown, bringing the final total to 99-0 (it should have been 102-0, but the NES version doesn't get any higher than 99). I made two more sacks before time expired. Final score is 99-0 (though it should have been 102-0).
  7. Week 9: Minnesota Vikings vs. Dallas Cowboys Another brutally difficult contest for the Vikings to overcome. I only gained three yards on the ground before going 3-and-out on my opening drive. I wound up giving up a first down to Tony Dorsett, but after smothering him on the next set of downs and sacking legendary QB Roger Staubach twice, we were back where we started--with Miller driving to the Vikings' 40. With Tarkenton rendered helpless against the Doomsday Defense, the Vikings had no choice but to rely on Chuck Foreman, who was mere inches short of the first down and in midfield. I considered going for it, but decided to instead punt it away, where the Cowboys returned it just passed their own 15. Forced another 3-and-out near their own endzone, but it didn't matter, as their punter kicked it all the way passed our 20, and Miller was pinned down at the 20. Foreman ran once more to bring about the end of the 1st quarter, with the game scoreless. Another two run plays and the Vikings finally net a first down. Tarkenton finally completed his first pass--to Rashad while under tight coverage. We had finally reached enemy territory on that play as well. After a couple more runs from Foreman, Tarkenton finally found a wide open Tucker downfield, who barely got it in for the touchdown. In addition, our kicking team was able to smother their return team behind their 10-yard line. A sack took them to their own 1-yard line, and Blair blocked a Staubach pass. Then, Tony Dorsett was tackled for a safety, and Miller returned the kickoff into field goal territory. Hasty to capitalize on the field position, Tarkenton threw an interception towards Randy White, intended for Sammy White. The Cowboys were quick to capitalize on the turnover; after Tony Dorsett ran for a few yards, Staubach threw a bombshell to Newhouse who ran it all the way down for a touchdown, making the score 9-7 Vikings. After throwing two incomplete passes, Tarkenton handed the ball to Foreman, who fumbled it, only for the Cowboys to recover in Viking territory. After covering Staubach's right flank for a sack, Staubach threw yet another bombshell to Pearson for a first-and-goal--only for him to get hurt and having to be carted away. Backup receiver Johnson wound up taking his place. They got their field goal unit out for the chipshot, only for it to hit the upright and deflect, rendering it no good heading into half time! Foreman wound run for a yard just to run out the clock. The Vikings lead the Cowboys 9-7. The Vikings receive the second half kickoff, and once again, my kicking team smothered them behind their 10. Staubach then threw a bombshell to Newhouse, who was tackled near midfield. Then just like that, Staubach threw an interception at the other side of midfield, putting me at our own 40. Rickey Young ran for 3 yards, and then Foreman ran it passed midfield for a first down. Another first down on the legs of Chuck Foreman, and then with an incomplete pass and a Rickey Young run for no gain later, and Tarkenton finally found Bob Tucker passed the Cowboys' ten-yard line wide open, and he took it all the way in to their 6. Foreman then ran it in for another touchdown, making the game 16-7 Minnesota. Deep in their own territory, Blair tackled Staubach all the way to their own 1-yard line. Staubach then ran the ball all the way to their own 30. And just like that, Staubach threw a missile to Robert Newhouse for a touchdown, and nearly got a safety on Miller in the subsequent kickoff just before the end of the third quarter. The game is now 16-14 Minnesota. From our own 4-yard line, Foreman ran it three times for a first down (barely) as he fumbled the ball out of bounds. Foreman continued carrying the ball all throughout the drive, eating up nearly 5 minutes of the entire fourth quarter and eating up all three of Dallas' timeouts. Still, we were forced to settle for a field goal, and with a 19-14 lead, we will now have to keep Staubach from throwing those downfield bombs on us to maintain victory, all while the Cowboys are deep in their own territory. Even after the Safety that put us up by a whole touchdown, the Cowboys still recovered the onside kick at their own 40, so the game isn't over yet by a long shot. Staubach then threw a pass to Tony Dorsett, who fought off the Purple People Eaters and ran it all the way down to the endzone in order to force overtime. The score is 21-21! The Vikings got the overtime kickoff, and Miller ran it near the 20. We were then forced to a 3-and-out, and we had to punt the ball away. We then exchanged punts thanks to back-to-back 3-and-outs with 1:40 left in overtime, and the Cowboys got the touchback. But Staubach was able to orchestrate a couple complete passes to near midfield. We then stuffed up Dorsett, sacked Staubach, and then in a desperation move, Staubach threw an incomplete pass to one of his wide open receivers. The Cowboys were forced to punt yet again, and Miller returned it to near the 10 with under 30 seconds to go. Tarkenton got sacked at the one and then Foreman ran for a couple more yards in order to end the game in a resounding stalemate against two of the league's best defenses (as well as the league's best offense in the Cowboys). The final score is, of course, 21-21.
  8. Week 8: Minnesota Vikings vs. Green Bay Packers First play of the game, Tarkenton got sacked for a safety. Luckily, I was able to stuff up Whitehurst, forcing the Packers into a 3-and-out. Following the kickoff, Foreman was able to get a good run in for a first down. Then Tarkenton threw a deep one to a wide open Tucker to get into Packer territory. Foreman ran for another first down, then Tarkenton sealed it with a pass down the middle to Sammy White for a touchdown. Marshall then forced a safety on a Packers' reverse play, then Miller ran it all the way in from the Vikings' 10-yard line all the way to the endzone for the kickoff return for a touchdown. The quarter ended with the Vikings up 16-2. Second half, the Purple People Eaters forced yet another safety, and then Tarkenton threw a wide-open bomb to Rashad to get his team into Packer territory. I had Foreman rush it a couple times until we were inside the Packers' 10, and then he ran it in again for another touchdown. The score is now 25-2. A 3-and-out later, and Miller returned the subsequent punt all the way down to the Packer 40-yard line. I continued down the field, but ultimately settled for a field goal instead. The score stands at 28-2 at halftime. Second half began, and I forced a three-and-out on the Packers' opening drive. They muffed the punt pretty badly next, and Miller ran it all the way to the Packers' redzone. After a pass to White, Foreman ran it in for another touchdown. The score is now 35-2. I forced another safety, and then Tarkenton threw a really deep one to Sammy White to get the team back into Packer territory. And I made my way down to the Packers' 1-yard line before the quarter ended, with the score 37-2. Rickey Young then ran it throw for another touchdown. Up 44-2. Another Safety, and the Vikings were able to recover the onside kick. Ran it down for a touchdown. Another safety. Recovered yet another onside kick. A couple runs and then one last pass to Sammy White, and the game is over with yet another touchdown, and to the final tune of 61-2.
  9. Just to let you guys know, after six weeks, the Minnesota Vikings are the last undefeated football team left. Meanwhile, the Colts are the last winless football team remaining. Next game is a match for the top seed. Week 7: Minnesota Vikings @ L.A. Rams First play, Larry Brooks sacks Tarkenton. Jack Youngblood follows suit. To avoid a safety, Tarkenton hands it off to Foreman for a measly loss of 2 yards. The Vikings, for the first time all season, have failed to convert a single first down on the opening possession. The Punt went as far as it could, but it was returned to about the 40. Bryant was able to get the quick first down past the 50. Luckily, I was able to stuff Cappel on the next run attempt down the middle, the Mullaney ran up the middle to sack Haden twice. I returned the punt near midfield, so now's the time to capitalize. Foreman ran up for a couple of yards, then Tarkenton threw a quick pass to Sammy White for a first down. Foreman ran a little bit at a time to get the Vikings into field goal range. Tarkenton threw another deep pass to White, who fumbled it out of bounds at the 12-yard line. Foreman took the ball just a yard shy of the touchdown when time expired with neither team scoring a point. Foreman ran it in on the very first play of the 2nd quarter for a touchdown. I nearly stripped the ball on the subsequent kickoff, but the ball wound up out of bounds at the 11-yard line. I nearly stripped it yet again off of Bryant, but once again, it went out of bounds to help the Rams get a first down. Mullaney then sacked Haden, and I stuffed the run, but then Haden completed a deep pass to Willie Miller for a touchdown, tying the game back up. After Foreman ran for a loss of 4, Tarkenton rushed a pass amidst heavy pressure and threw an interception. Bryant took advantage of blown coverage and ran it into field goal range. Then a blitz stuffed Bryant for a loss of 5, and Haden threw an incomplete pass (just shy of a touchdown catch). Mullaney then sacked Haden to push the Rams out of field goal range, and then the punting team went for a touchback. A deep pass to Rashad took us near midfield, and then Tarkenton threw an incomplete pass towards Tucker under coverage. A couple run plays later, and I am in 4th down. From the 50-yard line, I decided to go for a field goal kick, which barely hit the upright, taking me up 10-7. With 12 seconds left, I got to make sure the Rams do not reach the endzone under any circumstances. Bryant ran to the 50-yard line, and the half came to an end. Vikings up 10-7. But the Rams offensively have combined for a 112 combined yards to the Vikings measly 55, and the Rams will be getting the ball to open the second half. The defensive slugfest for whatever minimal field position we could acquire continued, with a successful 3-and-out, so the Vikings got yet another touchback from the subsequent punt. Tarkenton then threw an interception, only for the ball to be fumbled and recovered by, of all people, Sammy White, the intended receiver. So Vikings still have possession of the ball. Tarkenton then found a wide open Tucker and threw a deep vertical in his direction to take the Vikings all the way to Rams territory. Young then carried the ball a couple more times for another 1st down (in order to help get into better field goal position and all). Tarkenton then threw a pass to Sammy White for another first down. But the Rams stuffed up my run game at their own 5-yard line, forcing the field goal unit out to kick it for a 13-7 lead. I kicked off to the Rams to end the 3rd quarter, as they near their own 40. My defense then stuffed the offense, shutting down Bryant and sacking Haden into a 4-and-out. But with points at a premium, and not wanting to turn the ball over, I handed the ball over to Rickey Young to run it inside the Rams' 5-yard line, putting us into scoring position. Foreman then ran it in for the game-clinching touchdown, to go up 20-7. Or so I thought. I forced yet another fumble in the subsequent fumble, and then a return teammate then recovered the fumble and ran it all the way down to the endzone completely unopposed to get back within 6 points. The score is now 20-14, and now it is up to me to take care of the ball, and keep the Rams' offense off of the field. I ran a couple of times and then Tarkenton threw deep to Tucker while in coverage for a pivotal 1st down inside Rams' territory. Young and Foreman ate up the Rams' timeouts, and ate the clock. I attempted a field goal on 4th down, but the kick was blocked. I recovered it, but it became a turnover on downs. So now Rams have the ball with over a minute left to play, and down 20-14. First pass attempt from Haden was blocked. Then, Mullaney ran up the middle and sacked Haden. And then Haden completed a deep pass to Jesse all the way down to the Vikings' 20-yard line with 30 seconds to go! Haden then narrowly missed Miller in the endzone. Then Mullaney sacked Haden. 13 seconds to go! Another sack from Mullaney! 6 seconds to go! Last play of the game...and Haden completed the pass to Willie Miller, who punched it into the endzone for a touchdown. And with the PAT good, my Minnesota Vikings have lost their very first game of the regular season 21-20.
  10. Okay, does anybody know how to take those links and turn them into actual pictures that I can post on here? Thank you. Anyways, on to Week 6: Minnesota Vikings @ Seattle Seahawks Seahawks RB David Sims came back from injury in time to face my Purple People Eaters. But QB Zorn decided to make the first run play of the game, rushing for one measly yard. But after a loss of 5, Sims was able to find an opening--taking advantage of a trick play that I didn't see coming--to run it all the way to our 35-yard line. Zorn overthrew towards the endzone, I stuffed the run game and forced the Seahawks to settle for a field goal. The Vikings then continued to pound in their run game--taking advantage of the Seahawks' weak defensive line--to run it all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown. Hunter then ran the subsequent kickoff return all the way past the 50 before being tackled down. While the Vikings continued to stuff the run, Blair got in the sack on Zorn for a massive loss of downs. But Jim Zorn was able to connect a bomb downfield to Sam McCullen for a touchdown. The 1st quarter had ended with the Vikings having yet to throw a pass, and down 7-10. First play of the half, Tarkenton threw a deep one to Rashad, who caught it midair near the Seahawks' 10. Foreman then ran it all the way down for a touchdown. The Vikings then forced a 3-and-out, and returned the Punt near midfield. I continue pounding down on the running game to stall out for time in order to set myself up for a double-score. Inside the Seahawks' 10 and with 1 second to go, Tarkenton decides to go for it, and Chuck Foreman runs it all the way in for the touchdown, ending the half up 21-10. And to open the half, Miller returned the kickoff all the way for a touchdown, the lead now growing 28-10. Mark Mullaney runs up the middle for the sack on Jim Zorn. I couldn't get the safety, but at least I returned the punt passed midfield. Tarkenton threw a 10-yarder to Tucker, and then Foreman ran for an additional 9 yards. A deep connection to Sammy White later, and we go up another 7 points, essentially icing the game before the 4th quarter. I would eventually force a safety, and get the ball back. Tarkenton has struggled to find openings to pass (Seattle's secondary is surprisingly no fluke), but luckily, Chuck Foreman and Rickey Young is able to continuously exploit the Seahawk's weak secondary as the half comes to a close. The Vikings are up 37-10. First play of the 4th quarter, and Tarkenton connects to a wide-open Sammy White for a touchdown. Mullaney and Matt Blair had sacked Jim Zorn repeatedly, forcing a 4-and-out from their own 8. A couple runs from Foreman, Young and Tarkenton later, and the Vikings score yet another touchdown, now up 51-10. But Hunter got an explosive kick return in, taking it all the way to the Viking's 23. I sacked Zorn and stuffed their run attack, forcing the field goal team to the field, where the kicker missed wide left. Tarkenton threw but 1 pass, while his running attack continued to haunt the Seahawks. Then, on the final play of the game, Tarkenton threw a pass to Sammy White for the final touchdown. Final score is Vikings 58-10 Seahawks. It is the only game so far this season where the Vikings' passing attack suffered. But at least Foreman, Young, and Tarkenton combined for a total of 174 yards on the ground--the highest amount so far this season. Sorry I don't have any pictures. But once I figure out how to save them and then actually paste said image onto the comment, I will do so.
  11. Week 5: Rematch with the Bucs! And I just got Devin Hester'ed in the opening kickoff! Only for Miller to return a kickoff for a touchdown of his very own. So back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdowns! Luckily, we were able to collapse around Carter behind the Bucs' very own 5-yard line. I then continued to shut down the Bucs' running attack, and got a safety in their very first possession of the game. Following the kickoff return, I attempted to establish the run early so that I could keep the Bucs off the field, but their defense is proving rather stingy. So on 3rd down, I threw a pass to Sammy White and got the first down at midfield. I then threw to a wide open Tucker, who ran it all the way downfield for a touchdown. I stuffed Davis and Bell at the 20-yard line, and the quarter was over. I forgot to save the image, but the score so far is 16-7 Vikings. Mike Mullaney then ran up and sacked Doug Williams, forcing a punt towards midfield. The Viking offense had struggled during the possession, forcing a 3 and out. The Vikings now have to punt for the first time this entire season. Rather than give their punt return team the benefit of the doubt, I decided to settle for a touchback. I continue to shut down Davis and Bell, and then putting as much pressure on Doug Williams as I possibly can. Another 3-and-out, and on the subsequent Punt, Miller ran all the way down to Tampa Bay territory at around the 30. Fidgeting around a bit with the running attack some more, and then Tarkenton threw deep to Bob Tucker for a touchdown! Carter then ran all the way down to the Viking 30, and the Bucs kicked a field goal just before the half, taking the score to 23-10. snap0015.bmp Miller then brings the ball back to the 50 to open up the half. The Bucs' defense continues to be relentless, as the offense struggles to get anything done. But Foreman and Young continue to chip away at the Bucs' defense as the Vikings continue to eat away at the clock and work for the 1st downs. Little by little, and eventually, Foreman made it to the endzone to bring his team back up to a 20 point lead. Then I aimed for a low kickoff--but not quite an onside kick--so as to set the opposing offense to recover the ball quickly and for the kicking team to take Carter down without wasting too much time. Mike Mullaney then forced a 3-and-out, sacking Doug Williams constantly all the way down to their 10-yard line. They punt it as far as they could, and Miller carried the ball all the way to the 20 before getting tackled. A single run, and the 3rd quarter has ended, with the Vikings up 30-10. I'm continuing to struggle to get the 3rd downs, especially since that defensive line is constantly blitzing my pass packages no matter what I do, and my running attack can't do anything. Really not much else to say since all I am doing is converting on 3rd downs (and in one case, a 4th down). But with only two or three passes, Rickey Young eventually converted to a touchdown, bringing the scoring tally to 37-10. I then injure Carter with only 30 seconds left in the game, and Mullaney continues his assault against Williams. Mike Mullaney forced yet another safety, but the Bucs recovered with only 3 seconds left. We make one final stop against Johnny Davis, and the game was over. Mullaney was the game's MVP. snap0016.bmp
  12. Week 4: Minnesota Vikings vs. Chicago Bears I kicked off to the Bears, and am gonna try to key on Walter Payton throughout the entire game. While I successfully shut down Walter Payton, it left my secondary greatly exposed as the Bears QB threw downfield for an automatic touchdown. Meanwhile, Fran Tarketon threw a pass downfield to Sammy White for a first down, as I enter Bear territory. Unfortunately, I was forced to throw the ball away towards Tucker's direction shortly afterwards. But, Rickey Young caught a deep pass from Tarkenton to answer right back with a touchdown of their very own. Walter Payton has been getting some yards in, but all things considered, I altered my gameplan a bit so that I could continuously rush the passer. And then the QB threw an interception, and the Vikings now have the football back with an opportunity to seize the lead. I immediately took advantage by throwing a pass to Sammy White for a first down, and into field goal range. Another deep pass to White, and now I am up by a touchdown. Unfortunately, Schubert returned our kickoff all the way down to the Viking 40-yard-line. And the quarter had ended. snap0011.bmp Mark Mullaney automatically dived down the middle for a QB sack, while the rest of the defense continues to key on Walter Payton. Another sack and a 3-and-out at midfield, and the Bears are forced to punt. Miller was forced to run up the field past the 20-yard line because the ball was just barely outside of the end zone, meaning no touchback. Tarkenton then throws it deep to Rickey Young, and Rickey Young leaps up into the air and makes the catch for a first down at midfield! Another pass later down to Sammy White, and we have yet another touchdown! Mulanney continues to make the QB's life a living hell while the defense continues to shut down Walter Payton. Walter Payton then fumbles into his own endzone, and the Vikings recover for another touchdown! I then take out Stephen Schubert out for the rest of the game in the subsequent kickoff, as the Bears continue to fall apart. Marshall then tackles Walter Payton in the endzone for a safety. I try putting in a few runs, but the Bears are utterly hell bent on shutting down our running attack. Luckily, this opens up Sammy White downfield for a deep pass. He fights off a cornerback, and runs all the way from our 20-yard line all the way down to the endzone for a touchdown! Schubert's replacement at the return team, Earl, was able to fight off our defenders for an epic kick return to midfield, but it doesn't matter since it is now the end of the half! snap0012.bmp I try working in a few running plays, and then I threw another pass to Sammy White as we continue to run the score up on the Bears. Earl--surprisingly enough--is proving to be even more troublesome than Schubert ever did in this game, as he ran the following kickoff all the way down to the Vikings' 20. And in spite of a good run from Walter Payton that nearly got the Bears the first down, we continue to smother the Bears' offense. And they even missed the field goal--wide left! So now the Vikings have the ball back! Now that I'm up 44-7, I am now just pounding it in, and killing the clock with my much-neglected running game. snap0013.bmp As we keep pounding it in, the Bears have finally given up on stopping the run, as Rickey Young ran it into the endzone for a touchdown! This time, I make sure to stop Earl, no questions asked. Mark Mullaney continues to make the Bears QB miserable, and Walter Payton is unable to get anything done. We forced a 4-and-out, and the Vikings got the ball back. I continue pounding it in, and this time, it's Chuck Foreman that got the touchdown. A couple passes to White and Young later, and now the Vikings are up a whopping 65-7! The game is pretty much over since the Bears have been unable to get much done outside of their opening drive and their kick return teams. Sammy White and Mark Mullaney are the game's MVP's. snap0014.bmp
  13. Week 3: Tampa Bay vs. Minnesota Okay, on the opening play of the game, the handoff to Foreman led to a fumble recovery by Tampa Bay. So already, I am already giving a football team that began its existence with 26-straight losses before winning their first game. And that was 1976-1977 (then again, they do win the division the following season in 1979, and even reach the NFC Championship). And they immediately score on me with a screen pass for a touchdown. Tarkenton then throws a bone-headed interception. So already, I am in a bit of a bind against the lowly Buccaneers. And then they began dissecting my defense until they were deep in Viking territory. Luckily, the Purple People Eaters were able to stuff Doug Williams and the offense, and then they blocked a field goal and recovered the ball, taking it all the way to the 40-yard line. Meanwhile, the Buccaneer defense continues to frustrate Tarkenton and his runningbacks, as they struggle to so much as gain a yard against their crazy-mad defenders. I threw a couple more deep passes against White, and Foreman ran a few yards, and that was it for the 1st quarter. snap0007.bmp Good news--I got on the board with a pass to White. The bad news is, Doug Williams immediately connects to Davis and scores a touchdown against the Viking defense. So I have to fidget around with a couple running plays for a bit. Whatever happens, I have to make sure the Buccaneers do not get the ball back for the remainder of the half. At 3rd & 7, I threw a deep pass to Tucker for a 1st down. Another pass to White, another 1st down. My run game stymied, I threw another pass to White to get within 4 yards towards the end zone, with 3 seconds to spare. Foreman ran it in for the touchdown, and there ends the first half. snap0008.bmp I kicked off to the Buccaneers in the second half, so now I have to make some stops and try and take control over this game. Doug Williams--once again--took advantage of an opening when he threw to Davis, and he made it all the way to the Vikings redzone. Luckily, I made the stop, and the Bucs had to settle for a field goal. Plus, Miller was able to finally manage a decent kick return. And the longer this game lasts, the more berserk the defenders are, as White barely catches the pass while in coverage for a first down. A deep pass to a wide open Rashad finally gives me my first lead of the game. Unfortunately, that didn't matter since Doug Williams wound up throwing a couple of quick bombshells downfield to Davis for another touchdown. But Miller was able to get us deep into Viking territory in the subsequent kickoff, and the quarter came to a close. snap0009.bmp A few run plays and a couple passes to Sammy White later, and the Vikings retake the lead 27-24. Unfortunately, even after I switched tactics into stopping the pass, the Buccaneers still managed to get all the way to the Viking 3-yard line. And with just under 3 minutes remaining, I intend to make the indecisive stop so the game can come to a close. I forced a 3-and-out by smothering their run game, and then just as they were about to line up for a field goal kick, the Vikings blocked it, and Blair recovered and ran it all the way down to the 20-yard line. I merely made a couple of runs and then kicked the field goal before having to make the final stop in the subsequent kickoff, winning an otherwise epic game against a surprisingly strong opponent. Blair is the game's MVP. snap0010.bmp
  14. Week 2: Minnesota vs. Denver Now I face down against the defending AFC Champions, my very own Orange Crush. And in spite of their offensive trick plays, I got the quick sack against Craig Morten. I forced a quick 3-and-out, and Miller returned the Punt all the way to the Denver 40. Which is gonna be extremely helpful against the Orange Crush defense. I got a 1st down after taking a sack, but the deep pass continued to elude me; either Tarkenton overfthrows against a wide-open receiver, or he gets sacked. Eventually, I simply settled on getting Foreman into the line of scrimmage, and settled for a field goal. I then forced a Safety against Craig Morten, and now I am up by 5. Immediately upon getting the Kickoff return, Tarkenton connected with White on their first deep pass for a touchdown to get up 12-0. Perrin returned the subsequent kickoff to the 30-yard line, and their next drive commences. I surrendered only a yard on the final play of the half. snap0003.bmp Regardless, none of the Broncos' offense has been able to fool me, and I've been able to all but totally shut down their run, and sack the QB before he even gets the ball out of his hand. And Miller on Special Teams continues to light up the competition, helping my offense a great deal. But then when I handed the ball out to Young in the Red Zone, he fumbled the ball, and the Broncos were able to recover. Craig Morten overthrew to his first receiver, however, and then Mark Mullerny ran up the middle and almost got another Safety in. Thankfully, Blair was able to interpret the trick play and get the Safety in on Mullerny's behalf. And of course, Miller continues to get us into field goal range. A deep throw to Rashad later, and I am now up by 3 touchdowns as I continue to shut out the Orange Crush. Or at least I would be had the PAT hadn't been blocked. And just as the half was about to close, Jon Keyworth found an opening and exploited it to run all the way down to the end zone to finally put the Broncos on the board. snap0004.bmp Miller barely avoided the safety upon the second half kickoff return. But as soon as I put a play in, the Orange Crush blitzed Tarkenton for a sack. A Pass to White and a run from Foreman later, and I was able to convert a 1st down (from a 2nd and 18). Tarkenton then fought off a sack attempt to throw it deep, but the wide-open White dropped the ball. But runs from Tarkenton and Foreman converted a first down just before midfield. Tarkenton then beat a blitz to complete a pass to Rashad. White caught a fly ball for yet another 1st down. Another pass to White for a touchdown. This time, the PAT is good. I forced a three-and-out against the Broncos--sacking Morten twice--and then Miller returned the Punt to midfield. Tarkenton barely missed the 1st down run, however, as the 3rd quarter expired. snap0005.bmp Not to worry though; Young got the first down to open the 4th quarter. And a play later, Tarkenton throws it deep to Rashad for a touchdown. Mullaney immediately forced a Safety against Morten, and then Miller returned the subsequent kickoff all the way down for a touchdown! Good news for Morton; he finally completed a deep pass to Moses, and even scored a touchdown. Even better for him--his kicking team successfully managed the onside kick, and now they have it in Viking territory. Unfortunately for Morton and the Broncos, that's the full extent of the good news, as Blair and Mullaney relentlessly sacked him four consecutive times, putting the Vikings deep into Bronco territory. But instead of throwing anymore passes, Tarkenton continues handing them off to his runningbacks. I got the final touchdown, and the game came to an end. snap0006.bmp
  15. Okay, I'm gonna get started on the 1978 season, and will try and win one with the Minnesota Vikings. Here's the play-by-play! In my week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, I kicked off to the Saints where my kicking team forced a fumble and recovered deep in enemy territory. However, I couldn't capitalize in the end-zone and settled for a field goal--Tarkenton's first pass was blocked, while my running attack failed to reach the end zone. So now I'm up 3-0. I kicked off normally where the Saints threw an incomplete pass. But he took advantage of an opening by going for a run play, but I stopped him just a yard short of a first down. I was, however, able to get the stop in against Archie Manning when I saw his right flank exposed and that he was heading for a run play. So I took control of the defender on the defense's portside to completely immobilize him, forcing a 3-and-out. He punted, and now I have the ball back. A deep throw from Tarkenton to Young got me back into field goal range right away. I tried running one in for a first down, but at 3-and-1, I threw one to an open receiver against the blitz and I got the touchdown. Up 10-0. I got an incredibly deep sack. I then stuffed a couple of runs and got a safety. After a deep throw, I was able to get a big run off of Foreman for a touchdown. Up 19-0. Galbret finally got the Saints a first down after a fairly decent Kickoff return. I forced a fumble off of Muncie with the accurate blitz package, but the Saints were able to recover the fumble, and Harris was able to run it all the way down to our own 2-yard line. I allowed Muncie to score, so now the Saints are on the scoreboard 19-7 with 2 minutes to go exactly. Luckily, I got Foreman to get an excellent run in all the way to the Saints' 20. I made some stall runs and proceeded all the way to the Saints' 1-yard line with just 1 second to go (I used a timeout). I then triggered a pass play, but ran Tarkenton down the middle instead for a touchdown. At halftime, the score is thus: snap0001.bmp I received the opening kickoff and I quickly threw a couple passes to Sammy White for a touchdown, now up 33-7. Archie Manning took back to pass, but waited too long as Marshall forced a sack. Nothing much else came of that drive, so I then threw a couple of good throws to get myself back into scoring range. Tarkenton made a run for 8, and fumbled the ball into the end zone, and threw an incomplete pass to put himself to 3rd & 2. Foreman got the first down and thensome for me, and then Tarkenton threw one down to the endzone for a touchdown to White. Now up 40-7, and had essentially won the match before the 4th quarter. But on the subsequent kickoff, Chandler was able to take the ball all the way down midfield. But because Archie Manning won't throw the ball, I keep successfully stuffing their run game and the Saints were forced to punt it away as time expired is the 3rd quarter. So from this point onwards, I try to protect the massive lead as much as possible, playing keep-away as it were. But eventually, with just over a minute left to play, I did reach the endzone for my final score of the game, now 47-7. But once again, the Viking Defense bumbled when we forced an Archie Manning fumble, and the Saints scored their final touchdown off the recovery. The final stats are as thus: snap0002.bmp
  16. So I looked it up, and I decided that I would tackle each of these seasons one year at a time. But with a mission: I am going to help every single football team that has to this very day finally win their very first Lombardi trophy. In addition, I am going to at least preserve some semblance of some of the most notable Super Bowl dynasties from this period of time, specifically, prior to 1978, had never won a Super Bowl before still win at least one Lombardi. And for you Miami Dolphins fans, I'm gonna try and change Dan Marino's fate by winning him a Vince Lombardi Trophy. So as such, here are the teams I plan to win Super Bowls with year-by-year: 1978: Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings from this period of time is not, by any means, one of the most impressive units out there (in fact, only the Cardinals, Falcons, and Lions have had worse eras among all ten teams that went without winning one during this sixteen-year period). But, this would be Fran Tarketon's final season, so I plan on helping him ride off into the sunset with a Lombardi. 1979: Atlanta Falcons: Similar to the Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons simply were not the greatest team out there (although they would win their only division title the following year during this era, as well as home-field advantage all throughout). Why am I singling this year out for this team? Because while they weren't very good (heck, they had a losing record), the division champion--the eventual NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams--won the division with a mere 9-7 record. The Falcons had a 6-10 record, so it's not outside the realm of possibility for this team to potentially steal the division title away. 1980: Philadelphia Eagles: Man...I hate doing this because I hate the Eagles. But alas; they never won a Lombardi, so I don't have much of a choice in the matter. This is also the only season where the Eagles would win their division during the 78-93 era. 1981: San Diego Chargers: I once watched the entire spinoff series of America's Game: The Missing Rings (depressing as hell, but rather insightful), and while the best of the Dan Fouts era was 1979, 1981 was gauged as their best and final shot at a Lombardi trophy (specifically for Dan Fouts). It basically came down to 79 and 81 in deciding what to do with the Falcons, and I decided that if I was going to help the Falcons to win a Lombardi, I better do it when the competition is significantly lighter. So, since I gave the Falcons 1979, I decided to give the Chargers 1981. NOTE: I am aware too that the Philadelphia Eagles made the playoffs in both 1979 and 1980. The Falcons, meanwhile, only 1980. So I may consider switching the two seasons. 1982: St. Louis Cardinals: While a strike-shortened season, it was also the only season where the Cardinals even made the playoffs during this era--and yes, they were one-and-done in the playoffs. Ergo, this is the only alternative selection I've got. 1983: Washington Redskins: This becomes so much easier since I am not a big Raiders fan anyways. And the Redskins--at least until the Super Bowl, anyways--were supposed to be incredible. And had they won, we might be talking about the '83 Redskins as being arguably the greatest team in franchise history. Plus, '82, '87, and '91 are gonna go to different teams anyways, making this the only season where a team that established a dynasty for itself during this era wins in a year that they didn't win. 1984: Miami Dolphins: Any of you Dolphin fans out there that wished Dan Marino was able to win a Super Bowl ring? Well, case in point. 1985: Chicago Bears: Duh! 1986: New York Giants: Again, duh! 1987: Cleveland Browns: I know; the '86 Browns are the team everybody believes had the best shot at winning a Super Bowl. But I didn't want to deny the '86 Giants their Lombardi, and it's not like the '87 Browns didn't come close to getting there in 1987 anyways. 1988: Cincinnati Bengals: The closest anybody came to upsetting Joe Montana in a Super Bowl, and they probably should have won that game anyways. And with 1981 taken, I'm gonna have to give the Bengals this year to change their fortunes. 1989: San Francisco 49ers: Duh! 1990: Buffalo Bills: All Scott Norwood needed to do is kick it down the middle, and the Bills would have gone down in history as one of the all-time great Super Bowl champions. I'm gonna rectify that. 1991: Detroit Lions: Since this was the team's only playoff victory in the entire Super Bowl era, it makes sense to take them even further and make them Super Bowl champions. 1992: Dallas Cowboys: Yes, I know the team had already won a couple of Lombardi's; but that was a different dynasty with a completely different roster altogether (that's also why I avoided giving the Raiders or Steelers any further compensation; they already established themselves as legends in 1974-1976 anyways). 1993: Houston Oilers: After they totally bumbled the Wild Card round against the Bills the prior season and were put on notice, I'm gonna be putting all the stops to make sure the Oilers go all the way and avoid the fate of relocating to Tennessee and replacing the franchise brand altogether with the Titans. Warren Moon versus Troy Aikman. This one is gonna be epic! And if we're ever gonna get 1994, the most I'm gonna do is make the Super Bowl Steve Young vs. Joe Montana.
  17. Okay, so the only season that could have been given the Juiced treatment without a great deal of an overhaul of the gameplay would probably have been 1994. 1976 and 1977 both still operated under a 14-game schedule instead of 16, and 1995-1998? Well, I think there might be Tecmo Super Bowl III on SNES to effectively juice up and supercharge. I suppose we could do 1999-2001 as well, but only if we can make the decision to pretend the Cleveland Browns were never there (at least until 2002 when the 32-team format on NES was resolved). I do know for a fact, however, that anything prior to 1976 would be fairly difficult--especially 1966-1969. Although I do believe they may have had some roms dedicated to those two seasons already. I don't know.
  18. When I try to look up Colin Kaepernick's stats in the Team Data screen, the game freezes. There might be other bugs here and there in this ROM that causes the game to get locked up.
  19. According to this preview, their are four deadlocks (Denver, New Engand, Seattle, and Philadelphia) to make the playoffs and seven darkhorse Super Bowl contenders (Green Bay, Detroit, Dallas, Carolina, Kansas City, Baltimore, and Buffalo). That means according to this rom hack, the AFC South title will come down to either Indianapolis or Houston with neither team very likely to get much done in the postseason. And other teams that are just as unlikely to reach the Super Bowl as these two, but still have a shot at making the playoffs? Miami, New York Jets, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, San Diego, Oakland, New York Giants, Minnesota (really?), Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and San Francisco. That leaves the playoff longshots of the NFL: Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis, and Arizona. The Jaguars aren't even good enough to be called longshots; they're just the bottom-of-the-barrel NFL team. I don't know about some of you guys, but I think the 49ers and Cardinals ought to have their placements switched, as well as Carolina with Minnesota, and Indianapolis with Dallas. Short an NFC team? That's because it's the NFC South that is filled with playoff hopefuls, but nothing short of a Super Bowl darkhorse. NFL teams ranks in accordance to this ROM: 1. New England Patriots 2. Denver Broncos 3. Philadelphia Eagles 4. Seattle Seahawks 5. Green Bay Packers 6. Buffalo Bills 7. Dallas Cowboys 8. Baltimore Ravens 9. Kansas City Chiefs 10.Carolina Panthers 11.Detroit Lions 12.Indianapolis Colts 13.Houston Texans 14.Minnesota Vikings 15.Cincinnati Bengels 16.Pittsburgh Steelers 17.San Diego Chargers 18.Miami Dolphins 19.San Francisco 49ers 20.New York Giants 21.Atlanta Falcons 22.New York Jets 23.Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24.Oakland Raiders 25.New Orleans Saints 26.Arizona Cardinals 27.Tennessee Titans 28.St. Louis Rams 29.Chicago Bears 30.Washington Redskins 31.Cleveland Browns 32.Jacksonville Jaguars
  20. Before I begin, I would like to remind you of you that I will ultimately be playing as each and every team that I pick this upcoming weekend. As a result, over the next four days (before the Opening Kickoff), I'm going to be playing as the teams that I seek to pick, and I'm going to give you the scores that I posted. With that said, let's get started: Kansas City Chiefs 3 @ Houston Texans 48: Okay, I am not expecting this lopsided a matchup, though I am picking for this game to be a highly defensive slugfest, with the Texans ultimately swallowing up the Chiefs' offense. Brian Hoyer will probably throw three interceptions, though J. J. Watt will dictate the outcome of this game, allowing the Texans to win 27 - 17. The final score will be a pick six to put the game away. Green Bay Packers 35 @ Chicago Bears 14: I am expecting Green Bay to score at least an additional field goal in the real life game, though I will fairly admit that the Packers are a notorious for coming off to a pretty slow start, having kicked off the season 1-2 in each of the last three seasons (including a week one loss each). However, Jay Cutler had only ever won one game against Aaron Rodgers, and that was back when the Bears were pretty good. Either way, I'm picking the Packers. Minnesota Vikings 42 @ San Francisco 49ers 20: I highly doubt that the Vikings will put up six touchdowns against the 49ers, but five touchdowns and two field goals sound about right. The 49ers appear to be falling apart at the seams following an all-time worst offseason, and the Vikings appear to be an explosive and high-powered offense. I'm picking the Vikings to rout the 49ers to the score of 41 - 20. New York Giants 6 @ Dallas Cowboys 35: I don't think the game will be THIS lopsided, though I still think the Cowboys are going to win to the score of 24 - 13. Jennings will probably wind up rushing for a hundred yards while McFadden fumbles the football repeatedly if the Tecmo simulation is even remotely accurate. Tomorrow, I will be covering the Steelers/Pats game, Panthers/Jaguars, Lions/Chargers, and Eagles/Falcons
  21. Finally, we have got the NFC West to rank: Arizona Cardinals: In spite of a strong offensive line, this team really cannot run the football very well. On top of that, I don't get why, but the Cardinals' defense is very slow and one-dimensional (in spite of the fact that they were supposed to be very good). As a result, passing the ball down the field feels a bit like a chore with this team, as the opposing defense can easily cover your receivers, making this a team that is quite easy to counter. Of course, the running game can still redeem this offense, but only if you are incredibly lucky. Decent, but not that great a football club, and is one of the lesser teams in the NFC. St. Louis Rams: Once again, the running game--in spite of a good offensive line--is next to worthless, leaving only the passing game to depend upon. However, the defense this time around feels more like a brick wall meant to shut down opposing offenses, which gives them a solid edge over what is supposed to be a superior team in real life. In spite of this, passing the ball downfield still feels like a chore because your defensive game is so uneventful that opposing defenses could easily have their secondary cover your receivers, leaving you at the mercy of the putrid run game. But play your defenses right, then you don't necessarily need to score too many points to win games. San Francisco 49ers: This is the only team in the division that suffers from a weak offensive line--and yet in spite of this, the running game blows the Cardinals and Rams' out of the water, which in turn, opens the lanes further to spread out your offense. The front seven is also pretty solid, though one-dimensional; my guess is, focus more on stopping the run and rushing the passer, because your secondary isn't that great at covering the pass. Seattle Seahawks: Let me put it this way; the defense rivals the Patriots in intelligence, and the Broncos and/or Texans in likelihood in going berserk. On top of that, Russell Wilson is not only faster than Marshawn Lynch for some reason (though Lynch is stronger), but is even faster than any berserked front seven you can think of. The receiving core is pretty good, and the running game is pretty good. Doug Baldwin as the kick and punt returner is also the best in the division at doing this (which is a darn shame because it appears that there's a receiver in Seattle that is even better at the position than Baldwin). This is easily the funnest team to play as in the NFC West, and really, if this wasn't the best team in the division, there'd be something seriously wrong with this game (at least the potential is there for either Minnesota or Detroit to be better than Green Bay). So with that said, let's rank the division: 1. Seattle Seahawks 2. San Francisco 49ers 3. St. Louis Rams 4. Arizona Cardinals And just for fun, let me rank all of the NFC teams as well: 1. Carolina Panthers 2. New Orleans Saints 3. Seattle Seahawks 4. Minnesota Vikings 5. Detroit Lions 6. Philadelphia Eagles 7. Green Bay Packers 8. Dallas Cowboys 9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10.San Francisco 49ers 11.Chicago Bears 12.St. Louis Rams 13.New York Giants 14.Arizona Cardinals 15.Atlanta Falcons 16.Washington Redskins And really, the only teams on that list that I am not too crazy about are the bottom three teams. Finally, allow me to rank all 32 teams in the NFL: 1. Carolina Panthers 2. New Orleans Saints 3. New England Patriots 4. Denver Broncos 5. Seattle Seahawks 6. Minnesota Vikings 7. Oakland Raiders 8. Detroit Lions 9. Houston Texans 10.Philadelphia Eagles 11.Baltimore Ravens 12.Tennessee Titans 13.Buffalo Bills 14.Green Bay Packers 15.Dallas Cowboys 16.Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17.Pittsburgh Steelers 18.San Francisco 49ers 19.New York Jets 20.Chicago Bears 21.Kansas City Chiefs 22.St. Louis Rams 23.Miami Dolphins 24.San Diego Chargers 25.New York Giants 26.Cincinnati Bengels 27.Arizona Cardinals 28.Indianapolis Colts 29.Atlanta Falcons 30.Washington Redskins 31.Cleveland Browns 32.Jacksonville Jaguars
  22. Now, to cover the NFC South (which houses the game's most explosive offense versus the game's most dominant defense): Atlanta Falcons: This team is a glass cannon offense, and even then, it's a one-dimensional glass cannon offense. All you can do is throw the ball and maybe occassionally run; I say occassionally because the offensive line is so poor, and your running game . Defensively? Feh. Fat chance. You can either cover the pass or stop the run; guess wrong, and the oppossing offense is long gone. The only way you can possibly rush the QB is the occassional blitz, so forget about it. The only thing worth mentioning when it comes to a positive would have to be the fact that the punt and kick returner is the one and only Devin Hester--who can still go all the way for a touchdown. Otherwise, this team is all offense with no defense. Carolina Panthers: I was able to score 99 unanswered points exactly during my preseason game--57 of these points were scored by the defense. This team's defense just plain destroys everything; the only fault is that it is--you guessed it--a one-dimensional defense. But, between a pass or run call, you guess right (regardless if it's the accurate play call), you can utterly swarm and demolish the competition (in other words, it's not 1 in 8 shot at decimating opponents; it's 50/50). Offensively speaking, it's fine. It's anchored by a dominant offensive line, a scrambler in Cam Newton; some decent options at the receiving corp, and one hell of a running back in Jonathan Stewart. Play this team right, and you'd be next to invincible--and that's saying a lot since this secondary isn't necessarily a possesssed secondary. New Orleans Saints: While the Panthers are the most explosive defense in the league, the Saints are the most explosive offense in the league. This combines a no-hudle offense with a shotgun formation, and with one hell of a strong offensive line, one can wait comfortably for an eternity for you receivers to get far downfied, and let it rip. In fact, the offensive line is so strong that either Mark Ingram or C. J. Spiller could outrun the secondary and gain some serious yardage. Defense isn't as strong, though it's an effective bend-don't-break mutlidimensional defense. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This team reminds me quite a bit of the Chicago Bears in that the offensive line is complete crap, and yet there's enough dimensionality and skill in the receiving corps to warrant being a pretty good football club. The difference, however, is that the defense is much more capable and aggressive than the slow defensive players of the Bears. As a result, I would have to put them slightly higher on the hiearchy than the Bears. Still a good team though. And now, the ranking of all the NFC South teams: 1. Carolina Panthers (by virtue of the classic saying that defense wins championships) 2. New Orleans Saints (close second, though) 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4. Atlanta Falcons Last but not least, the NFC West.
  23. Now to cover the NFC North: Chicago Bears: In spite an atrocious offensive line and a slow-as-molasses defense, this is a surprisingly good team. And is proof positive that the Bears could be an elite NFL franchise if Jay Cutler simply had the leadership skills and the Quarterback smarts necessary to run this offense in real life. It is also a sign of relief knowing that the vast majority of your offensive pass plays are shotgun formations, and Matt Forte can escape from the rush effectively. Though due to the poor offensive line, this means rather than an explosive approach where every play is scoring, you'd have to play methodical; luckily, once you hand the ball to your receivers, you let them loose, and they'll take care of the rest. And since your defense is too slow to rush the passer, and you cannot possibly stop the run once you forego it, my recommendation is to focus on the run, and let your corners and safeties slow down the receivers (because they won't allow them to get wide open). Bend, but don't break; and then let the offense put the game away. Also, your special teams are incredible--especially when it comes to field goal and PAT formations--impressive given how underwhelming your defenders are. Detroit Lions: This team is essentially a better version of the Chicago Bears; operates from the shotgun due to a not-quite-so-sturdy offensive line, though the line is certainly better. And defensively speaking, this team is one of the few in Tecmo Super Bowl that seems to be constantly possessed. They can rush the passer and cover the pass exceptionally well--so much so that you can plug in your linebackers to shut down the run and/or get in a sack. If the Lions played aggressive football like they would here, they could win the Super Bowl this year (it all depends on the coaching staff and the player culture). Green Bay Packers: An explosive offense meets an a one-dimensional defense. You can either stop the run or cover the pass; you can do either well, but not both simultaneously. Special teams was also pretty weak. It's hard to gauge who is better between the Bears and the Packers, though if I were to pick who the better fourth quarter team would be, it'd be the Bears due to their bend-don't-break defensive scheme. But the Packers can and will put up a ton of points in a single game, and can lean on the run if necessary. I'm leaning towards the Packers by virtue of the fact that their offensive line is at least a little sturdier, and Aaron Rodgers can scramble. Minnesota Vikings: Green Bay's explosive offense meets a defense that is borderline berserk (it ranks second behind Detroit in the division). Adrien Peterson is arguably the best running back in the entire game (still need to test out Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks, as well as the remaining half of the NFC). It's not a possessed secondary, but it can still play aggressively on defense should you defend against the pass, and let the front seven rush the defense (you won't shut down the run, but you will be able to slow it down). The only problem that I have is the playbook in regards to Adrien Peterson--change it, because having him run on the south side of the field repeatedly isn't a sound offensive strategy. And now, I have the difficult task of ranking the entire NFC North--since all four of these teams are quite good in this version of Tecmo Super Bowl: 1. Minnesota Vikings 2. Detroit Lions 3. Green Bay Packers 4. Chicago Bears And this is no slap in the face against Green Bay or Chicago fans; all four of these teams play very well. Edit: No, I will not be updating my Tecmo roster based on the updated version of this game.
  24. Okay, time to cover the NFC East--though almost all of them have similar playstyles; basically, an explosive offense with a one-dimensional defensive scheme (the Eagles are the closest thing to an odd duck in this division): Dallas Cowboys: As far as explosive production goes, this team's best way to go is the aerial attack. This is because, while McFadden can gain a ton of yards and works in this offense, the problem is, he fumbles the ball. A lot. So if you're going to run the ball a lot (and in some matchups, you probably will), I would suggest that you run out of bounds before the opposing defense can tackle you down. Defensively speaking, this team isn't great, but decent. I suggest, however, that you focus on covering the pass, since your defensive line is too slow to tackle down the QB without assistance from the blitz. That means this team will likely struggle against the run. Overall, a pretty good football team. New York Giants: Yet another instance of an explosive offense with a so-so defense. The problem, however, is that the offensive and defensive lines are not very good. That means almost every play from scrimmage will feel like a blitz with the exception of your running attack--Jennings can outrun most defenders. That means the running attack should be your main focus--in spite the presence of a Manning QB. Defensively speaking, this team cannot cover the pass very well, nor can it rush the passer, making it a sore weakness. The only thing the Giants can do better than the Cowboys is run the football--and even then, that's mainly because Jennings doesn't fumble the ball as often as McFadden. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are an, um...quirky offense. Mixes in the no-huddle with a number of trick pass plays. And even then, the no-huddle offense seems to pay very little dividends per play. The running game is the team's strong suit--with FB Darren Sproles and TB DeMarco Murray anchoring in the offense--and even then, the team is designed to mix it up, and systematically work your way downfield. Kick and Punt Returners are quick and nimble as well. Defensively, this is the only team in the division that is capable of rushing the passer AND cover the receivers at the same time. As a result, the front seven is the best in the entire division (that means your focus should be to cover the pass while using the ILB and NT to shut down the run and get your sacks). The Cowboys may be the more balanced football club, but the Eagles are the most efficient. Washington Redskins: Great offense, though the complete nonexistence of an offensive line (perhaps to signify RGIII's glass cannon status nowadays) means that every offensive play will be a frantic one, as every play will feel like you're running for your life. Defensively speaking, this team cannot rush the passer, and yet stopping the run is the best thing this team is good for. Even if you do cover the receivers, you're not going to force too many incompletions or interceptions. All this team can do defensively is slow down progress. As such, here's my predictions on the NFC East in how they would rank (and is oddly enough, the order in which I predict the division will finish in): 1. Philadelphia Eagles 2. Dallas Cowboys 3. New York Giants 4. Washington Redskins
  25. An idea that I have concerning a Tecmo Super Bowl rom of the 2008 season, but with a special challenge in place in which your goal is to win any game with the Detroit Lions from that season, who, with the exception of Calvin Johnson, every single solitary player on that team was abysmal. Perhaps similar tweaking can be made with the Buccaneers for Tecmo Super Bowl 1977, where an additional goal can be made to win a game with the Buccaneers.
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