Mike Gordan

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.

Okay, so I completed the first simulation, and this is the first playoff bracket:
 
AFC                                                         NFC
 
1.  New England Patriots (12-4)              1.  Seattle Seahawks (12-3-1)
2.  Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)                  2.  Carolina Panthers (11-5)
3.  Tennessee Titans (11-5)                    3.  Dallas Cowboys (11-5)
4.  San Diego Chargers (11-5)                4.  Chicago Bears (10-6)
5.  Buffalo Bills (9-6-1)                             5.  Green Bay Packers (9-7)
6.  Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)                     6.  Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
 
The Patriots defeat the Steelers in the AFC Championship game while the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks were both upset by the Chicago Bears, who would then go on to defeat the Patriots by the score of 31-24 in Super Bowl LI.  So, according to the first sim, Cutler is going to have a Mark Rypien-type season and become Super Bowl MVP.  I'm guessing League MVP will probably be something like Tom Brady or Russell Wilson, but who knows?  Coach of the Year will probably wind up being Rex Ryan for ending the Bills' postseason drought.  But, that's only the 1st simulation.  I'll probably wind up running a hundred of these and will only go over the interesting tidbits.

Yes, I did.  I am admittedly having trouble actually posting images on here.  That Snap.0001 at the end is supposed to be the definitive proof that the Vikings defeated the Steelers in a shootout, but for whatever reason, I can't post any images here.

For argument's sake, let's just settle for all teams from 1960-2015 (since I had heard that there are virtually no statistical data that exists for teams predating --even though the last time the Lions were world champions were during their 1950's dynasty, and the Cardinals had ever only won one world championship in franchise history back in 1947.  But given the fact that your criteria, by definition, would eliminate the Houston Texans from consideration since they never even got passed the Divisional Round in the playoffs as of this moment (and best overall record, I find, is much more suitable a comparison).  I try to find the best teams in history to have won a world championship, and that, sadly, forces me to settle for the best teams to have been to the big game--if not the Super Bowl.  Besides, had the Super Bowl existed back then, the 1960 Eagles, 1961 Oilers, 1963 Chargers, and 1964 Browns would have all gone to the Super Bowl--and likely would have won, too.  As for the teams you have selected:
 
Cleveland Browns:  First, the Browns won their last world championship back in 1964.  Second, if we are to limit our window to just 1966-present, why not go for the 1986 Browns--who finished with a better record than their 1987 counterparts, strike or no strike, and made it to the AFC Championship game anyways?  It was also the only time in the Super Bowl era that the team won home field advantage throughout the playoffs as well.
 
San Diego Chargers:  Again, the only championship this team had won was the 1963 season.  Anyways, I looked it up, and apparently, you're right.  It was the 1992 Chargers that made the playoffs in spite of an 0-4 start.  So if the 1994 season is the only one that is eligible if we are strictly adhering to the Super Bowl era, fine.  Though if we are to strictly limit ourselves to where such records had existed, starting in 1960, not only was the 1963 team better, but was far more successful in its goals.
 
Philadelphia Eagles:  I stand by that at the very least, we should limit ourselves to the 1960 season at the earliest for all of these teams, in which the Eagles have won their most recent world championship.  Otherwise, the 2004 season was their best season to date.
 
Detroit Lions:  I guess since records predating 1960 do not exist as far as statistical accomplishments go or gameplan or anything like that, I guess I have no choice but to limit myself to just the 1991 season (since it was the only season during the Super Bowl era so far in which the team won a playoff game).
 
Green Bay Packers:  First off, the hat must be taken off in favor of the original Super Bowl Champions themselves.  Second of all, what makes a better football team isn't one or two players that got them there (btw, you forgot KR Desmond Howard as well), but the team as a whole (as well as their coach).  And Vince Lombardi is arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history.
 
Minnesota Vikings:  Debatable.  Really, one could select any one of these four teams, but they still wound up Super Bowl losers.  In stark contrast, the 1998 Vikings had the best record in franchise history (as well as, at the time, the most explosive offense in league history) and lost in overtime thanks to a missed field goal kick (boy, do the NFL gods really hate the Vikings when it comes to overtime).  But if your choice has more to do with preference in QB, fine (though if that's the case, then the 1973 team is just as good, especially if your aim is to minimize the amount of teams that appear in a single season).
 
Cardinals:  This is a very tricky subject since historically speaking, they are the least successful franchise in NFL history (not counting some of the more recent expansion franchises like the Jaguars or Texans), rivalled only by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (which, even then, the Bucs at least won a Super Bowl).  Granted, they are the only team to not only reach a conference championship, but even came close to winning a Super Bowl as well.  Which is why I still cannot escape the notion of seeing a Tecmo Super Bowl in which two Kurt Warner's happen to be playing each other at least twice a season.  Besides, given just how badly the Cardinal's history has been, it probably doesn't matter which year from 1960-present you select; in a battle royale against the greatest years of each of the other 31 NFL teams, the Cardinals would get the utter crap kicked out of them all season long.  Through all intents and purposes, you might as well just throw in the current and untested 2015 roster.
 
The only other question I have is concerning the Houston Oilers:  Would we replace either the Titans or the Texans with them?  And would you at all be bothered over the notion of there being three teams from 1999--that being the Rams, the Titans, and the Jaguars?  Because one way or another, you got to have the Rams and Jaguars--one posted the best record in franchise history, while the other won the Super Bowl.  Which the latter, by default, would more likely than not guarantee making it into the Convergence.
 
Speaking of which, of the thirteen teams that have never won a Super Bowl--Bills, Browns, Texans, Titans, Jaguars, Chargers, Eagles, Lions, Vikings, Panthers, Falcons, and Cardinals, who do you think is the most likely to win the Super Bowl this year?  Perhaps the likeliest dark horse Super Bowl as of right now would have to be Eagles vs. Texans; the former due to how lethal they appear to be so far in the preseason, while the latter, well, just look at who they have on defense!  I would watch it, and you know what?  In spite of my appreciation of Tim Tebow, I can't stand the Eagles, so I'll just be cheering on the Texans all the way if we get a Super Bowl matchup like this.

Covering the AFC South now:

 

Houston Texans:  By far the most fun team to play as in the division.  Okay, so you do not exactly have an explosive offense.  But I got two names for you:  J. J. Watt, and Arian Foster.  Arian Foster is the cornerstone of an offense that doesn't have much in the way of receivers (and nothing special at QB), and J. J. Watt, well, can force turnover on downs during a punt return!  This makes the Texans the ultimate field position team there is, and my pick to be the best team in the AFC South--at least in Tecmo (chances are, the coaching staff over at Houston fails to realize this; besides, Arian Foster is going to miss some time in real life due to injuries).  Of course, that's only the Juiced version.  Defense is the best offense, but your offense is adequate enough in the air, and explosive on the ground.

 

Indianapolis Colts:  Shockingly enough, this is not a good football team in this version.  The offensive line is a joke, and the defensive front seven is slow as hell.  While you could get by on the run defense, you can't blitz the passer for crap, meaning they will still kick your arse in the air.  RB Frank Gore is adequate, but not behind the kind of offensive line that can allow easy sacks for Andrew Luck.  And while the passing game is good, it is hampered severely by an atrocious play book. and offensive system.  You would think the one good team in the real life AFC South to be fun to play, but it really isn't.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars:  Playing this team makes the Tecmo Bowl Wimps in the Ultimate Challenge look like the 1985 Bears in QB Vikings' 1985 season of Tecmo Super Bowl.  They are pretty much like the Colts, but worse in every single way imaginable.  The atrocious offensive line matches the Colts in crappiness, but matches the Browns as far as offensive capabilities go; the only difference is, it's got an aggressive playbook.  The defensive line, just like the Colts, is so slow that nobody could reach the QB even in a blitz; cannot stop the run, and cannot cover the receivers.  At all.  If the Jaguars are this bad in real life, I would not be surprised.  A complete and total joke in every conceivable way.

 

Tennessee Titans:  The Titans are surprisingly enough a much better team this year than the Indianapolis Colts.  Granted, their offensive line isn't that great, and their defense is one-dimensional--yet effective when you make the playcalling--especially in relation to the type of team you are playing.  The running game, aerial attack, and receivers are all better--though it warrants a more conservative approach compared to that of some of the more explosive offenses--than that of the Colts; their playbook is better; and the Kick and Punt Returners are a godsend and the best in the AFC South.  This team seems to function a bit more like the Houston Texans or Buffalo Bills, only without the aggressive defense to back it up.  But regardless, they play a ton better than the Colts do.

 

And thus, here's my personal rankings of all the AFC South teams of the 2015-2016 Tecmo Super Bowl:

 

1.  Houston Texans

2.  Tennessee Titans

3.  Indianapolis Colts

4.  Jacksonville Jaguars (and I'd personally go as far back as being a contender for worst team in the entire NFL)

 

Next time, AFC West!

Okay, a few more thoughts on a number of other NFL teams, this time from the AFC North:

 

Baltimore Ravens:  One of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL, and easily the best in the AFC North--at least according to this game.  A good, sturdy offensive line meets a fairly aggressive defensive line (not as good as New England's, but they get the job done at rushing the QB).  Forsett isn't the greatest running back in the world, but he'll get you your first downs easily enough.  And yes, the air attack is pretty good too (the receivers are not the best in the world, but they spread out pretty well enough, and Joe Flacco is accurate enough a passer as well).  Pushing it over-the-top is one of the best special teams units in the entire game--putting the Buffalo Bills' to shame even.

 

Cincinnati Bengels:  The passing game is pretty good; running attack, not so much.  Cincinnati's offensive line is pretty problematic, so this isn't entirely Hill's fault.  This means that it should be pretty easy to pressure Andy Dalton and force him to make some costly turnovers.  Defensively speaking, they're pretty good, but not great.  A fairly average team that can win games, but will otherwise cave under pressure whenever it presents itself.

 

Cleveland Browns:  The defense is the best in the AFC North while their offense is by far the worst.  Cannot run the football at all, and you can't pass the ball around for crap.  This means this team fails at whatever offensive strategy you throw at these guys; your best bet is to simply get lucky to force the turnovers and capitalize on points.  Trust me; all of my touchdowns against the Broncos during preseason were off of turnovers--all two of them.  I otherwise was dependent on field goals and a safety to win.  But if the Browns were to face a dynamic offense, nine times out of ten, they're going to get killed.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers:  Very similar to the Baltimore Ravens in functionality; pretty well balanced, though their running attack is much better.  And this is in spite of a questionable offensive line.  Their defense surrenders far too many yards for my liking, so I guess they're the polar opposite to the steel curtain of old--aggressive offense with a questionable defense.

 

So here's the order in which each of these four teams would fall under:

 

1.  Baltimore Ravens--barely

2.  Pittsburgh Steelers--close second

3.  Cincinnati Bengels

4.  Cleveland Browns--a shame that this team just can't catch a break

 

Note:  In spite of this, what tilts the balance of power somewhat is the degree of difficulty when it comes to their schedules.  This means whoever wins this division will almost certainly win the number four seed while the rest misses the playoffs.

Okay, a couple of notes on a few teams on this rom hack:

 

Buffalo Bills:  This team is meant to function as a field-position team ultimately.  It wears down opposing defenses on long drives while going for a kill on shorter fields.  This is evident by the fact that, in spite of the talented receivers and running back, the quarterback isn't really that great.  Matt Cassell is probably the better choice to start, though the primary function is that the team forces 3-and-outs for good field position if need be, or better yet, force turnovers and capitalize on opposing mistakes from the offense.  The benefit with having Taylor over Cassell is that while Cassell is much more likely to complete his passes towards his receivers (especially if the opportunity to throw it deep presents itself), at least Taylor can scramble a lot better.  Though with Taylor, if you need to complete a pass, keep it short, and go strictly for your most open receivers, and let the talent themselves do all the work.

 

Miami Dolphins:  Miami's primary functionality is that of a passing offense without much of a ground game to go for it.  The defense, while it isn't great, is designed to rush the QB mostly; you use Nose Tackle Dmonikuhn Su (or however you spell his name) to open the lanes so that your inside and outside linebackers can run in for the kill.  This means the team can cover the ground game as well, but it's not very good at covering deep passes.  Force three-and-outs, and allow Ryan Tannehill to direct his offense.

 

New England Patriots:  This is pretty much the good version of the Miami Dolphins.  Pass game is excellent, but ground game is not.  However, LaGarrett Blount would make for a much better second-half power runner; you hop up with a big league early in the first half, and then you power run and give the opposition little chance at a comeback.  On defense, not only can you rush the passer much easier and stop the run, but your secondary is smart enough to run in and cover the pass while you're doing it.  It only makes sense that the best team of the century thus far possesses the most complete package.

 

New York Jets:  One dimensional offense meets one-dimensional defense.  In spite of a great receiving corps that includes the likes of Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker (both former Denver Broncos), Geno Smith is not a great passer.  However, where the Bills and Jets have an offensive failure in common with the pass, the Jets have by far the best starting running back in the AFC East in the form of Chris Ivory, and thus should be your primary offensive weapon when you start out the game.  Defensively speaking, unlike the Bills or Patriots, the Jets are only either very good at stopping the run or stopping the pass at any given time; and even when you do make the choice, your blitzing options probably are not going to be that great since, even when covered, the Jets' secondary has a bad habit of allowing receivers to catch the balls and get away from coverage soon after.  However, with that said, the more rewarding offer at large would be to guard against the Pass (unless the team predominantly focuses on the run); the reason for this is because while the Passing Game isn't that great, when your defensive players do make a move, they can capitalize easily on a touchdown (plus, breaking through the offensive line is easier this way).  In other words, the Defensive line and secondary are both good, but not great; the secondary makes the most out of its opportunities, whereas the best the defensive line can do is rush the passer.  Run the ball a lot, and then spread out the offense to close out the game.

 

 

I'll cover the AFC North tomorrow.  In total, here's my order of preference as far as playing styles in the AFC East is concerned:

 

1.  New England Patriots (great passing game; decent power runner; and a defensive scheme that can do everything at once if need be).

2.  Buffalo Bills (you're not going to make too many offensive plays here, but the defensive line will ensure that you probably won't have to make too many of them).

3.  New York Jets (mostly run, and then shut down the passing game; attack the run only when facing a top tier running back).

4.  Miami Dolphins (shockingly enough, the only thing the Dolphins can do is pass the ball and open the lanes for the linebackers to rush the QB).

Just finished up with the AFC West:
 
Denver Broncos:  The offensive line and the defensive line is tough as nails (really, only the most dominant defenses--so far proving to be Seattle, Houston, and New England--are capable of pressuring Peyton Manning).  The offense combines explosive pass plays with field positioning.  The running game isn't as good as KC or Oakland's, but it's still pretty good, amplified considerably given the strength of the Oline.  Defensively speaking, while one-dimensional yet again, becomes possessed when swarming either air attack or the ground game.  It's a little difficult to get used to, but it's easily one of the best NFL teams in the game.
 
Kansas City Chiefs:  Adequate receiving corps, though lacks a certain punch.  The real threat offensively speaking is RB Jamaal Charles, who is one of the best RB's in the entire game.  The front seven is also pretty dominant, although the secondary is a bit of a weakness.  That means rushing the passer and suffocating the run is this team's expertise defensively, while the offense is run first and pass later.  Given the playbook, this team would have been the most fun, explosive team in the division not counting the Broncos if not for the fact that this team doesn't have that great a receiving corps.
 
Oakland Raiders:  The good news so far is that this is one of the most dominant offenses in Tecmo Super Bowl 2015-2016, surpassing even the likes of the New England Patriots.  Not only does this team have a great passing game and a receiving corps to back up Derrek Carr, but the Raiders even have one of the better running backs in the entire game.  Defensively speaking, the defensive line isn't that great, but they are pretty good against the pass, forcing three interceptions during my pratice run against one of the better passing teams in the NFL--the Pittsburgh Steelers.  They are second only to the Denver Broncos for best team in the AFC West--the Broncos win out by virtue of their possessed defense.
 
San Diego Chargers:  Offensively speaking, this team is the bizzaro Kansas City Chiefs; their offensive line is terrible, and your running game isn't very good.  But the passing game is explosive.  Defensively speaking, they're not impressive.  The front seven is slow as mollasses, so don't even think about rushing the passer (with blitzes rarely ever working), especially since the secondary doesn't cover the receivers very well.  You might get by at shutting down the run, but that just opens the way for an aerial assault the likes of which the Chargers have no answers for.  This team is especially hampered by playbooks that favor the shotgun formation, because that means you won't be able to stop anybody.  They're a pretty good team, but my least favorite in the AFC West by virtue of their defense (though a broken offensive line hurts just as well).
 
And thus, here's the order in which the four teams fall under:
 
1.  Denver Broncos
2.  Oakland Raiders (close second)
3.  Kansas City Chiefs
4.  San Diego Chargers
 
And thus, the order of the entire AFC:
 
1.  New England Patriots
2.  Denver Broncos
3.  Oakland Raiders
4.  Houston Texans
5.  Baltimore Ravens
6.  Tennessee Titans
7.  Buffalo Bills
8.  Pittsburgh Steelers
9.  New York Jets
10.Kansas City Chiefs
11.Miami Dolphins
12.San Diego Chargers
13.Cincinnati Bengels
14.Indianapolis Colts
15.Cleveland Browns
16.Jacksonville Jaguars

Finished the regular season 12-3-1.  Lost to Denver, Buffalo, and the Tecmo Monsters in that order (the final loss was due to a last second kick return for a touchdown, which lead to a 21-15 defeat).  I tied the Steelers, but won the tie breaker against them for the number 3 seed due to having scored a few more points throughout the season, while giving up the fewest points in the NFL (I had the league's best defense as well as its worst offense).

 

So in the Wild Card round, Dan Marino lead a first quarter touchdown, but the Dolphins would never again be able to score against me.  I wound up shutting down their running game while pressuring the quarterback constantly.  I threw for three touchdowns and kicked for one field goal in a defensively dominant game.  Unfortunately, I lost Jim Harbaugh for the year, leading Grodan to lead his team to victory.

 

Then, in the Divisional Round, I took down the Denver Broncos--the first team to have beaten me all year long (and handed me the worst loss of the year, being the only NFL team to score 30+ points against me).  The final score was 19-7, which also included a meaningless last-second safety.

 

And finally, the team that beaten me in overtime.  The one-loss Buffalo Bills.  I made my statement by eating up the entire first half by methodically working my way down the end zone slowly-yet-steadily, just to keep the Bills offense off the field.  Alas, my reasoning made sense.  As soon as the second half started, my kick off was returned all the way for a touchdown.  I countered by driving the team all the way to the end zone, but scored a little too quickly.  This allowed the Bills to make it back on the field to try to tie it up again.  But the Bills defense would never make it into scoring range, and all I had to do was run out the clock.  Won 14-7 and went on to the Super Bowl.

 

In the Super Bowl, I faced down the 16-0 Tecmo Monsters.  This wasn't just a Super Bowl between the league's best offense vs. the league's best defense, but the best offense also had the second best defense while my team was the league's worst on overall offense.  On top of that, the Wimps' defense were amplified due to the fact that my offense worked specifically to slowly-yet-methodically work its way down the end zone, keeping opposing offenses off the field for the vast majority of the game.  And when the opposing offense did take center stage, I would shut down the run, the trick plays, and rush the quarterback all in descending order of priority.  The Monsters' defense, on the other hand, was built specially to always shut down the run while rushing the passer at the same time.  This was a mismatch that was meant to be insurmountable in the big game.

 

But in spite of a poor first drive that backed my offense down to our own one yard line, I was able to kick the ball away and limit the Monsters to a field goal.  I was able to methodically work my way down the red zone before the end of the half, but rather than take my chance on a final play to get to the end zone, I would instead settle for a field goal.  Unfortunately, running back Kenneth Davis was injured during that half, meaning that I no longer had anything remotely resembling a running game, and I was stuck with Grogan at QB instead of Jim Harbaugh.  Two of my biggest weapons on my team were out, and the other two offensive weapons became useless.

 

The Monsters got the ball to start the second half, but I was able to keep them cramped up behind their 15-yard-line in a three-and-out (trust me; I was pretty darn lucky to have gotten all the defensive plays my way during that drive).  I was able to methodically work my way down in a scenario where it seemed that a 7-in-8 shot at a good play, and during a blitz, I managed a deep pass in deep coverage that lead to a touchdown.

 

Unfortunately, the Monsters' special teams ran all over my special teams, and scored a touchdown.  And we kept responding to each of our drives with a touchdown pass of our own.  Until we were tied 17-17.  Unfortunately, even though we had about 58 seconds left of play before the end of regulation, the kickoff return kept me restricted to the 15-yard-line.  And instead of attempting another play, I decided to punt the ball right back to the Monsters and attempt to force a Safety.  That didn't happen, though I was able to shut down their punt returner just as time was set to expire.

 

Come overtime, and the Monsters got the ball first in sudden death, and were able to work their way into field goal range.  When lol and behold, they missed the field goal attempt, giving me the ball at the 40.  I worked my way down the field in my usual methodical manner, since I didn't fully trust my kicker to win from the Monsters 35.  And while I was able to lead my team down to the red zone, I was forced into fourth down, and had no choice but to put the game in my kicker's hand.  The kick was up, and it hit the upright, but it was good!  The lowly Wimps had defeated the unbeatable Monsters in the Super Bowl during overtime.  The MVP of the Super Bowl was QB Steve Grogan for passing for 244 yards and two touchdowns with 0 interceptions.