A Tecmo Super Bowl For NES FAQ
Part 1 of 3: Cross-Cutting Concerns and Tournament Priorities
Version 6.2
20 November 2016

By Leif Powers
Stock e-mail address: LEPmf@yahoo.com
Matchup template based on mort's

This document is in the public domain (or CC0 if your country
does not allow). I encourage the community to update it as 
necessary instead of waiting 13 years. ^_^

1234567890
..........

----------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents 

Note: changelogs and similar items are in Part 2 for now. 
Foreword
Game Theory and Tecmo (no-holds-barred and Madison rules)
Tournament Game Structure/Rules
Matchup Calling
- Overall Notes and Tiers
- Playbook Recommendations
- Even Matchups
- Trap Matchups
- Full Matchup List
RPS-type strategy card play (don't get your play called)
Strategy card <=> game situation/matchup interplay (how well your chosen
plays would actually play out on the field)
Offensive player selection/lineup
Defensive player selection for the play
In passing, manipulating the opponent to cover the wrong receiver, or
manipulating the quarterback to make a bad throw
A-button tapping (vs. dive tackling)
Clock management
"Standard" Playbook
Other Common Playbook Notes
Training Regimen

----------------------------------------------------------------
Foreword

A coach can only teach lessons. A player has to incorporate those lessons
in their game through practice and experience. 
(spiritual credit to Shaun Thompson)

Your coach has been playing this game off and on for a little less than
20 years. Your coach is highly talented in the thumb, in defense, and the
running game, but is relatively weak in the passing game. However, what I'm
going to tell you in this portion of the guide is almost all about passing.
The structure of the modern TSB tournament is so heavily geared towards
passing that you should not really concern yourself with advanced defensive
techniques or tricky running moves. If you are anywhere other than in the
elite level (top 25% at tournaments), you will get more out of improving your
passing game and playcalling than out of any other skills. Even at that level,
you see that the big mistakes will almost always come from bad passing and bad
playcalling.  


----------------------------------------------------------------
Game Theory and Tecmo (no-holds-barred and Madison rules)

Tecmo incorporates the following sub-games/disciplines:

Getting the matchups you want:
High-level matchup comparison/meta-strategy (team selection)
RPS-type strategy card play (don't get your play called)
Strategy card <=> game situation/matchup interplay (how well your chosen
plays would actually play out on the field)
Offensive player selection/lineup
Defensive player selection for the play

Move-zone fundamentals:
In passing, manipulating the opponent to cover the wrong receiver, or
manipulating the quarterback to make a bad throw
In passing, execution of proper technique (covered in Part 2)
In running, execution of proper technique (covered in Part 2)
In defense, execution of proper technique (covered in Part 2)
In special teams, execution of proper technique (covered in Part 2)

Physical prowess and chicken:
A-button tapping (vs. dive tackling)

Level-headed execution:
Clock management
Not hitting the console, the table, pulling the controller, etc. 

Each of these correspondingly has a different optimization, which will be
covered in the following sections. But first, a quick overview of additional
rules used in tournaments. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Tournament Game Structure/Rules

The key additional restrictions of note in "Madison rules" are as follows:
- No nose tackle dives, left or right end dives, or passing through players
at a snap on a path directly to a ballcarrier, when using a defensive
lineman. Comboing on an offensive lineman is probably legal, but check with
the officials before using those moves.
- No WR as a ballcarrier and in a RB slot (he can be the ballcarrier of a play
that you never call).

All games are played in Preseason matchup, which means you know who can roll
whom in the first quarter. 

Matchup calling will be dealt with in a separate section. 

What this really boils down to is that you need to know how to stop the power
dive, whereas in a no-holds-barred tournament, you can get away with not
knowing the secondary options. There are some other tricks: for example, one
way to deal with Pitch L Open is to use the LE and pull up at the snap; this
is illegal under Madison rules. Now you have to use a LB (iffy) or try to 
attack it through the top blockers. 

This also makes the pass even more dominant because you can't sack the QB 
even if you know he's dropping back. Plus, without Marv Cook or Andre Rison
at RB, your running game is weaker and you will find yourself favoring the
single-back playbooks.


----------------------------------------------------------------
Matchup Calling

In the typical tournament structure, the winner of the coin toss chooses the
matchup, while the other player chooses the player in the matchup (or maybe
the 1P or 2P position). There may be other variations, such as winner of
coin toss taking 1P or 2P, but those tend to be less common because choosing
the matchup is usually a disadvantage.

Simple one first: which of the three options yields the most advantage? Given
that one player chooses the matchup and the other the team in the matchup,
the player who chooses the team in the matchup can choose the optimal team in
that matchup against the player and strategies they expect. Then it's only a
question of whether having 1P controller is more or less of an advantage than
the advantage betweeen the two teams. There are only two structural advantages
to 1P:
- You can recover an onside kick (2P can almost never do it)
- You can more effectively practice certain plays in 1P vs. 2P, so you're
likely better in 1P

You can remediate 2P play disadvantage on offense through MAN vs. MAN play
and leaving selection on a neutral player to the play you are using. However,
2P defensive disadvantage can only be remedied through custom ROMs or playing
a lot against a MAN. 

That disadvantage is almost certainly smaller than choosing the optimal team,
unless the two teams are almost equal in strength for you. As you will see in
the below breakdown, there are only about 10 or so matchups that are actually
equal, and so you are almost certainly going to choose a team. Hence, it only
really matters if you are offered one of those 10 or so matchups, and those
10 or so matchups really are equal for you (because you have practiced the
two sides equally or because you can get more or less equal outcomes). 

My take: always choose team, because you will be more confident in your play
afterwards. If you can't decide, per mort, choose the team with the better QB. 

The playbook details will have to wait for later; they are listed below to
help show how you should prepare. 


#######################################################################
              Matchups (focus on no-lurch and no WR at RB)
#######################################################################

This changes the dynamics of the matchups significantly. As many/most players
operate with these rules (unlike my typical game which is no-holds-barred),
you will see the rankings I put down here differ from what you see elsewhere
in this guide.

When choosing the general range of matchups, here are the most important 
thresholds you should consider:
- How fast can a RB be for you to have to start calling runs to stop him
- Are you going to give your opponent a good QB
- Can you effectively run the ball with the MS of the RB that you are putting
on the other side
- Can you deal with the QB you are going to end up with

You want to choose matchups that line up with the game you intend to play.
Per Mort, the higher tier you go, the more likely it's going to be a shootout.
From my experience, I can tell you that the lower matchups wind up being
garbage-fests with jump balls. 
I tend to go with mid-ranking matchups both because
a) I don't trust the lower-tier ones and they tend to get unbalanced, because
you have more tackles and fumbles, plus the teams' strengths and weaknesses
don't obviously offset. Plus I hate garbage-fest. 
b) My strength is in defense and top teams become very difficult to defend
in the passing game e.g. Miami, even when you sell out pass. 
c) At the top tiers you bring in unique players like QB Eagles and Bo
Jackson, and you might wind up running into someone that really knows how to
exploit the game to favor those players.
With that said, if you do what I do, you better be able to run with 50 MS
RBs and throw with 44 PC QBs. I get away with it a lot because I play defense,
not because I'm skilled with those teams offensively. 

Here are some tiers or groupings that you will likely want to keep in mind as
you decide what type of game you want to play:

---
Teams with great QB-WR combos (i.e. you can throw into them on called plays
instead of normal outlets, and in general you can throw it at them on
basically any play that the MAN isn't shadowing that receiver with a strong
pass defender):

S.F.
HOU.
BUF.
K.C.
PHI.
MIA.
RAMS

It's surprising how many players won't fully exploit those advantages, but
part of it is the desire to avoid just rolling the dice. However, you can even
see guys like Regulator airing it out deep. With these teams, it is a
fundamentally strong strategy to throw to that WR against almost any single
coverage. Against a strong defender or a player that is clearly better than
you, I definitely recommend calling a matchup like BUF-HOU. If you are a 
strong defender or you feel you are superior to your opponent, you should 
avoid these teams in a matchup, and if the opponent calls a matchup with 
only one of these teams, you should strongly consider taking that team.

---
Teams with dangerous RBs (> 50 MS) (note this list is not relevant in
no-holds-barred)
RAI.
DET.
BUF.
DEN.
S.D.
CHI.
CIN.
GIA.

The key here is if you think you are likely to get out-tapped, avoid matchups
with these teams. A good player will try and target you in the running game. 

---
Teams with high PS QBs
MIA.
S.D.
DEN.
PIT.

With these teams, you will not have to worry about the jump ball as much;
certain plays like R&S Z Fly become weaker as a result, particularly in
called-play situations. Most of these QBs are pretty inaccurate, so when
playing as these teams, you really want to focus on getting on line with your
receiver and giving your QB easy throws. Consequently these teams are for
patient, high-execution players. You see these teams used a lot, and I highly
recommend getting in a lot of practice with these QBs; if you can accurately
throw the ball with PIT, for example, you have a huge advantage over most of
the competition. 

---
Teams with slow QBs that you would actually play
K.C.
MIA.

Again, patience is the key, but you have to deliver the ball faster out of
called plays unless you see really strong blocking up front. This is a
situation where you really want to check conditions after quarter change,
because if they go up to 13 MS, the way you handle called plays significantly
changes. For example, you can now pound the WR #2 in R&S Flare C regardless of
coverage, whereas at 6 MS, you will get sacked most of the time before you can
marker over to him.

---
Teams with fast MS QBs
S.F. (Steve Young, but it's an error to use him in Preseason)
PHI.
T.B.
DET.
CLE.
DEN.

This allows you to stay alive longer on the called plays, but also when
staying in the pocket and waiting out a deep route to force the MAN to decide
between short and long. However, with the exception of PHI, most of these
should not fundamentally change your defensive play. These are good teams to
help you transition to being a pocket passer when the situation is right. 

---
Teams without relatively strong ROLB or LOLB (they draw power dives)
IND.
MIA.
JETS
RAI.
SEA.
WAS.
DAL.
CHI.
T.B.
ATL.

If you take one of these teams or think you will get it served up to you in
the matchup, you should know that seeing the power dives, as well as Toss
Sweep R/FB Power Dive, become far more likely. Many of these teams can sort
of defend out of the LILB position if the opposing RB isn't that fast. With
that said, you might like that matchup if you want to take the other player
out of passing (e.g. in the K.C. vs. MIA matchup, where Deberg to Paige is
tough to stop). In the game situation, let your opponent show you he is
actually going to pound the football before calling runs. 

---
Teams that frequently draw Pitch L Open, Onesetback L, etc. in opponent's
playbook
WAS.
T.B.
ATL.

You can make the adjustment in the game, but you will see the Pitch L Open
used as a means to get you off the star player at RCB. IMO that's wonderful,
because that means they have to take a weaker pass play to install it, and you
can basically optimally defend the run out of the LOLB or maybe the LILB, or
even the LCB in the case of WAS. Even if you are using the RCB on air patrol,
you can just run away when they call it - you aren't required to eat the
play. You can also harass by taking on the WR #1 and then comboing with one of
your teammates. 

---

I also drew upon Mort's knowledge and advice in filling out the below. Both
he and I would advise you to tailor the below advice for your specific
strengths and weaknesses. In particular I place strong emphasis on the
running game to neutralize playcalling advantages; if you throw the ball a
lot, you would want to lean more towards mort's original rankings. 


          Overall Team Ranking (no WR at RB, no DL lurching)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
San Francisco 49ers (no fearsome running game, but great quality team)
New York Giants (got impact players everywhere but the defensive line)
Buffalo Bills (too average on D)
Los Angeles Raiders (great everywhere but QB, LB, K, P, and a DB or two)
Houston Oilers (star-oriented defense, Pinkett/Jones at RB)
Philadelphia Eagles (horrid secondary, QB Eagles = 80% of the offense)
Kansas City Chiefs (offensive speed and depth/returner problems)
Cincinnati Bengals (lacking 8 guys on D and good receivers)
Detroit Lions (defense needs help and QB position is inconsistent)
Miami Dolphins (running game is flat out weak)
San Diego Chargers (need more juice to go to the next level)
Denver Broncos (Elway isn't very good, the D can't intercept)

--- Pittsburgh danger line: most teams below this line are liable to get
beat up by the PIT defense ---

Dallas Cowboys (passing game is not up to snuff, just solid otherwise)
Washington Redskins (Rypien and Humphries, good but CB-driven D)
Minnesota Vikings (QB position lacking, Herschel only 44 MS)
Chicago Bears (no passing game whatsoever)
Phoenix Cardinals (no punch in the offense, safety-driven defense)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (offense has 2-3 good players, defense has Haddix)
Los Angeles Rams (horrible defense, help on special teams wanted)
Atlanta Falcons (defense needs much help, offense has bad depth)
Pittsburgh Steelers (painful-to-watch offense)
New York Jets (only a few stars to carry this team, weak offense)
Cleveland Browns (QB Browns + W. Slaughter + 2-3 OK defenders = the team)
New Orleans Saints (hot-and-cold offense, defense lacking punishers)
Green Bay Packers (day-to-day offense, pitiful D)
Seattle Seahawks (offense has no speed anywhere, terrible defense)
New England Patriots (little offense, but some defensive stars)
Indianapolis Colts (no defense, worst pair of QBs in the game)


                       Playbook Recommendations
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Running playbook options:
Max RB #1, if fast QB/weaker safeties: R&S L, R, QB Sneak or Run (fast QB)
Max RB #2, Max Power, Kill RCB: Off I Sweep + Pitch L Open + Off I Dive
2 RBs, Balanced D: Off I Sweep, R&S Sweep R
LOLB iffy compared to RB MS: T Power Dive
LOLB good: Weakside Open
FB Power Dive if Off I Sweep

Passing:
Normal QB: R&S Flare C, R&S Z Fly (Off I Flare if needed by runs)
Bad PC QB: Shotgun X Curl
T Power Dive: Pro T Flare C
Pitch L Open: X Out and Fly (consider Pwr Fake X Fly)
No T (or 2 good WRs): Shotgun X Drive
Redgun Z Slant


                       Validated Equal Matchups
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
mort's original list has a pretty good breakdown of teams that are well
matched in the above format. The below is my take on which ones are really
equal, or as close as you're going to find that will still give you the
10-ish matchups you need in a tournament situation. 
Some of mort's starred matchups are traps or strange; next section discusses 
those. Others are clearly unequal in my opinion, but those teams may have 
a lot of similarities, which is why mort would have starred them.
Obviously my suggestion of which team to take is pretty soft because the
teams are pretty close. 


6. KC
vs CIN*: Take KC
You want to establish early in the game whether the opponent can defend
the run at a disadvantage with Fulcher. Also, you want to understand
whether the opponent is willing to use James Francis, either to bait you
into a disadvantageous run to the top (e.g. R&S Sweep L), or in general
to try and prevent you from R&S Sweep R on Fulcher all game. In general
I think you want to stay with the Pro T Flare C, even though it runs
through Fulcher and has fewer receivers, because using Shotgun X Drive
allows the opponent to get BOTH Francis and Fulcher as CPU players who
will be involved in the play, while they can drop with Buck or another 
defensive lineman. 
You can argue either way whether to match Paige up on Fulcher, but I
think you match him up there in case you make a mistake, and to put
pressure on Fulcher's side. If Robb Zombie is over there, you will get
too conservative, and then Fulcher can bait you into bad short throws
with your iffy RBs. Other reason being it's not much better with Barney
Bussey as far as CPU defense is concerned. 
There is a case for putting Word at WR #2, but I think you give up too
much in the passing game by doing that. Okoye and Fulcher are going to 
battle no matter whether Word takes on a player or not, just because
Fulcher will run in. I almost think you prefer that bait in this case,
because you do have Okoye vs. Barry Sanders (where you would try to
protect him with a high HP WR #2 if you could). 
On the CIN side, this is not really any different than other matchups.

vs MIA*: Take KC
If the KC opponent shows a power playbook, you are going to wind up
abandoning LOLB David Griggs and instead using the MIA ROLB to stop the
Off-I sweep and all dive plays. In Onesetback you will still use Griggs, 
but also you can go for the QB with Offerdahl if they try to use HATS 
plays. Offerdahl can also be used on a gamble dive to stop Play Action.
As MIA, even though you have two RBs close in speed, you definitely
don't want to install Off-I plays because Derrick Thomas will eat you
alive. What you really want to do is Pro T Flare C and T Power Dive
to force the MAN off of Thomas if you can, along with the usual
R&S Sweep L. Easier said than done, though.
If you are running low on matchups and are facing a strong opponent, or
are drunk, this is one I would call; you can autopilot throwing to Paige
or Duper/Clayton deep.  


9. CIN
vs SD*: Take CIN
As SD, similar considerations with putting Anthony Miller vs. Derrick
Walker at WR #2 as with K.C., but here Walker is a much more
defensible choice. I'd try it both ways depending on what you see
out of the MAN - and I'd also recommend making that switch and then
going opposite tendency.
I recommend CIN here because CIN doesn't have a RNG QB...but SD's
defense is much better for stopping the run, and has an easier job
in this matchup. It's really a question of whether you can handle
the BJ.


10. MIA
vs WASH: Take MIA (close)
Marino's job is to throw to open receivers
before Green and Mayhew get there. WASH
has to run the football effectively in order to
compensate for Humphries.


13. MINN
vs WASH*: Take WASH
Players have an extremely pronounced tendency to get away from the run
with MIN. With that said, they are still about as good as WASH, so you
should run Herschel now and then.


19. DAL
vs PHX*: Take PHX (close)


20. PHX
vs NYJ*: Take PHX (take NYJ if you are good at passing)


22. ATL
vs CLE*: Take CLE
Remember to take Deion into the middle if the field if you deal
with a high-blocker run to the top. 


23. CLE
vs GB*: Take GB (take CLE if you are not good at passing, or if you
suspect your opponent may try jump balling on you)
Bob Nelson is actually your best bet for a number of the T formation 
run plays, because Mack and Metcalf are so slow.


26. NE
vs SEA*: Take NE (SEA is valid if you intend to jump ball)


                       Trap/Strange Matchups
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Note to anyone that modifies the FAQ: feel free to add/edit the below,
I don't know these matchups as well as players who use them frequently.


5. CHI
vs KC**: Take CHI if you run, KC if you pass
This will come down to the running game and
63 MS Anderson is the explosive threat if you are a tapper.
KC can throw the ball very effectively against some teams, but
CHI is not one of those. With tap disadvantage, KC is probably the
pick to have Okoye, plus avoid getting out-tapped on a deep ball.  
However, if you have a strong passing game, you should definitely
take KC in this matchup because Tomczak is horrible and he has no
good receivers.
Against CHI: You should consider using the Off-I playbook in Slots
1 and 4 against CHI, because that forces the MAN out of Mike
Singletary. You can definitely use the Pro T Flare C WR #2 (who should
be Stephone Paige) lead throw against Donnell Woolford and Shaun Gayle.
Against KC: Make sure to have a player with some hitting power as your
RB #2 if you are going lead-block; the MAN will use Derrick Thomas and
you need to prevent him from being able to blow up your dives.


9. CIN (DON'T CALL)
vs MIA*: Take CIN
CIN is the clear favorite due to a much better running game.
Marino must get a lot of coverage catches to win this game.
If you can get good coverage in an obvious passing situation, you 
can try to go for Marino with Francis. 
 
vs DET*: Take DET
DET has a much better running game. The key for CIN to win
is for David Fulcher to play possessed and stop their running
game by bowling over blockers. DET should counter by using
the Max RB2 playbook with Pitch L Open to keep Fulcher
occupied, and put any players with Hitting Power (e.g. due to
conditions) at WR #2.


10. MIA (DON'T CALL)
vs SD: Take SD
This matchup strongly favors SD as long as you play
conservatively. Marino will have to throw coverage
catches to win.


11. DET (DON'T CALL)
vs SD*: Take DET
DET has the advantage here because of the QB running game.


12. SD
vs MINN*: Take SD
Not really a close game here due to the MS and PS difference.

vs WASH: Take SD
Likewise, not a close game. SD defense is weaker in some spots
but offense is far less likely to get shut down.


14. WASH
vs TB*: Take WASH
This isn't an even matchup. WASH defense is twice as strong
while their offense still has some good players. WASH can
avoid some of the RCB killing that TB will have to deal with.
Stan Humphries is nowhere near as good as Testaverde, but he
doesn't have to be if he has to deal with the TB secondary.

vs RAMS: Take RAMS (close)
The WASH running game and defense advantages are offset by
the far better RAMS passing game.

vs DEN: Take DEN
Not close here.


15. TB
vs RAMS*: Take RAMS
The RAMS' offensive advantages match up very well to the
TB weaknesses. Meanwhile the Testaverde running game should
work, but won't be exceptionally effective.

vs DEN*: Take DEN
This is NOT a close matchup.

vs PITT*: Take PITT
If Rod Woodson can shut down Anderson, then Testaverde's
MS doesn't mean diddly.

vs DAL: Take TB
Really up to the skill of the player as to which is better.
Both TB and DAL have different advantages.

vs (PHX): Take TB (close)
Phoenix has a better-rounded defense, but TB has the better
offense. Which one you take depends on how often you feel
you will be able to make effective use of Haddix when the
MAN shows you a running formation tendency.


16. DEN
vs RAMS*: Take DEN
Denver's running game is twice as good and their defense
is better. As RAMS you should basically throw it to Flipper
or Ellard (depending on how the MAN uses Dennis Smith)
on every single play. I'm not really exaggerating. 
 
vs PITT*: Take DEN
63 MS RB vs. 38 MS RB, clearly better QB, this is not even.
You might look at DAL and say, "isn't DEN about as good as
DAL?" On quantity of attributes, yes, but the high QB PS
makes Elway much more effective in this matchup on the short
ball than Aikman, which is where DAL gets killed against PIT,
since he can't JJ very well either. 

vs DAL*: Take DEN
This is closer but Denver is clearly better.


17. RAMS
vs PITT: Take PITT
RAMS will not be able to run the ball in this game, while
Kevin Greene is going to have a hard time picking off
passes.

vs DAL: Take DAL
DAL is clearly the superior team in this matchup,
although there may be a lot of junk on Everett JJs.
RAMS are justified if you intend to air it out or if you
feel you will be out-tapped.


18. PITT
vs DAL: Take PITT
PITT is just good enough to completely shut down DAL.

vs PHX: Take PITT
Same deal.


21 . NYJ
vs ATL*: Take NYJ
Deion is going to be neutralized and without Rison in the
backfield, ATL will not have that much of an advantage in the
running game.

vs CLE*: Take NYJ
This is not even given the difference in speed of the running
game and the defenses.

vs NO*: Take NYJ
This is relatively close but the Jets have a better back-end
defense.


23. CLE
vs NO: Take NO against a fundamentals player, CLE otherwise
QB Browns is awesome but you are giving up a running game to get him. 
Likewise this is a trap matchup because QB Browns can also kill you
if he gets some coverage catches. This is a high volatility matchup
and do not recommend calling. 
 


                       Template Matchup List
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I included the below list, a re-format of Mort's, as an example. Note
that I put all my personal ratings for each matchup/which side I would
take. Typically that was based on either:

- Which team I felt had impact players like Bo Jackson that I did not
want my opponent to have
- Which team was better in this format, assuming equal A buttons

You should tailor this to your play style, experience with each team,
and particularly your ability to stop the opposing offense. I included
some playbook matchups in the early part of this list: you could also
put your personnel matchups if they don't vary. 

Note that * matchups were recommended by mort as equal, and () 
matchups were recommended as uneven in disfavor of the team in 
parentheses. 

Matchups:

1.  SF
vs NYG: Take SF; R&S PB/Run.
vs Hou: Take SF; R&S PB/Run.


2. NYG
vs HOU: Take NYG; 2RB-WS-FB
as HOU: 2RB-WS-Run

vs BUF*: Take NYG; 2RB-WS-FB
as BUF: R&S PB


3. HOU
vs BUF*: Take BUF; 2RB-WS-Run
as BUF: R&S PB

vs CHI: Take HOU; 2RB-WS-Run
as CHI: 2RB-WS-FB

vs PHI: Take HOU; R&S PB/Run
as PHI: R&S PB/Run


4. BUF
vs CHI: Take BUF

5. CHI
vs KC**: Take CHI

vs PHI: Take PHI

vs RAI: Take RAI

vs CIN: Take CIN


6. KC
vs PHI*: Take PHI

vs RAI*: Take RAI

vs CIN*: Take KC

vs MIA*: Take KC


7. RAI
vs PHI*: Take RAI

vs CIN*: Take RAI

vs MIA: Take RAI


8. PHI
vs CIN: Take PHI

vs MIA: Take PHI

vs SD: Take PHI

vs DET: Take DET


9. CIN
vs MIA*: Take CIN

vs DET*: Take DET

vs SD*: Take CIN

vs MINN: Take CIN


10. MIA
vs DET: Take DET

vs SD: Take SD

vs MINN: Take MIA

vs WASH: Take MIA (close)

vs TB: Take MIA


11. DET
vs SD*: Take DET

vs MINN*: Take DET

vs WASH: Take DET


12. SD
vs MINN*: Take SD

vs WASH: Take SD

vs TB: Take SD

vs (RAMS): Take SD

vs (DEN): Take SD


13. MINN
vs WASH*: Take WASH

vs TB: Take MINN


14. WASH
vs TB*: Take WASH

vs RAMS: Take RAMS (close)

vs DEN: Take DEN


15. TB
vs RAMS*: Take RAMS

vs DEN*: Take DEN

vs PITT*: Take PITT

vs DAL: Take TB

vs (JETS): Take TB

vs (PHX): Take TB (close)

vs (CLE): Take TB


16. DEN
vs RAMS*: Take DEN
 
vs PITT*: Take DEN

vs DAL*: Take DEN

vs (PHX): Take DEN

vs (CLE): Take DEN


17. RAMS
vs PITT: Take PITT

vs PHX: Take RAMS

vs DAL: Take DAL

vs (JETS): Take RAMS

vs (ATL): Take RAMS

vs (CLE): Take RAMS


18. PITT
vs DAL: Take PITT

vs PHX: Take PITT

vs NYJ: Take PITT

vs (ATL): Take PITT

vs (CLE): Take PITT

vs (NO): Take PITT


19. DAL
vs PHX*: Take PHX

vs CLE: Take DAL

vs NYJ: Take DAL

vs (NO): Take DAL

vs (ATL) Take DAL


20. PHX
vs NYJ*: Take PHX

vs ATL: Take PHX

vs CLE: Take PHX

vs (GB): Take PHX

vs (NO): Take PHX


21 . NYJ
vs ATL*: Take NYJ

vs CLE*: Take NYJ

vs NO*: Take NYJ

vs GB: Take NYJ


22. ATL
vs CLE*: Take CLE

vs (NO): Take ATL

vs (GB): Take ATL


23. CLE
vs NO: Take NO

vs GB*: Take GB


24. NO
vs GB: Take NO

vs NE: Take NO

vs (SEA): Take NO


25 GB
vs NE: Take GB

vs (Sea): Take GB


26. NE
vs SEA*: Take NE

vs (IND): Take NE


27. SEA
vs IND*: Take SEA


28. IND


----------------------------------------------------------------
RPS-type strategy card play (don't get your play called)

Under this heading, I deal with issues related to just getting your play
picked, vs. the larger implications of how you spread your playcalls to
optimize yards gained. 


Fundamentally unsound play:
- Level 0 is running the same play over and over again until you stop it.

Fundamentally sound but potentially sub-optimal play based on the 
matchups and how effective your team is at running certain plays:
- Level 1 is calling plays at 1/8 probability. (full-random)
-- Beat it by sitting on one particular play or tendency and then 
   catching him back-to-back)
- Level 2 is calling plays at 1/8 probability but adjusted for 
  expectation (i.e. how effective the play is in this particular matchup).
-- Beat it by reducing the number of disfavored plays you call while 
   waiting to catch him in one call.
--- Counterplay is calling infrequently-used plays in key situations.
---- Counter-counter is to wait for key or unusual situations and select 
     the infrequently-used plays.
- Level 3 is the changing of strategy cards randomly; that is, you use a
  sound frequency based on the expectations of the plays, but you randomly
  switch emphasis between one group of plays to others (so you can 
  sometimes avoid a guy sitting on one play all the time).
-- Beat it by transitioning your sitting play at the frequency where the
   opponent is changing frequency, and guess based on the plays called
   what the group is (always be in his small group).
- Level 4 is changing strategy cards randomly, and a random frequency
  of changing (causing the opponent to lose sync with your changes)
-- Beat it by high responsiveness to new play calls, getting back into his
   favored plays

Fundamentally sound is not quite good enough in tough defensive matchups,
but is probably optimal when using strong offensive teams, since the 
benefit of getting more uncalled plays is probably outweighed by the risk
of getting outplayed (since any strong offensive team should average 5+
yards per play, so one play called is not going to stop your drive).

Potentially optimal play based on the opponent's strategy but highly
susceptible to being outplayed:
- Level 5 is changing strategy cards in response to your opponent's
  general tendency (pass or run)
-- Beat it by switching tendency whenever a play is run that shows your
   tendency (e.g. RILB hold on R&S Flare C, double guard pull on
   R&S Sweep R)
--- Counterplay by staying in tendency, or random playcalling
- Level 6 is changing strategy cards in response to your opponent's 
  successful playcalls (what play/plays is he sitting on)
-- Beat it by rotating sitting plays and staying with optimal overall
   frequencies (since frequencies of future playcalls will be skewed
   based on what you just hit him with)
--- Counterplay by calling plays back-to-back or close frequency, and
    then avoiding them
- Level 7 is showing your opponent one strategy card and then using
  his reaction to what you showed him to exploit him.
-- Example: Calling a high percentage of runs early in the game, then
   calling fewer runs, but enough to keep your opponent on that tendency.
-- Example: Targeting the ROLB with R&S Sweep L, forcing him either to call
   that run (and give up R&S Sweep R) or to abandon that player. Based on
   what he does, you then counter with passes or Run 3.
--- Counterplay: Not adapting 100% to what the opponent is doing, to catch
    him in his attempt to exploit your reaction.
--- Counterplay: Baiting your opponent to keep using the previous strategy
    (such as choosing the ROLB anyway) and catching him using one strategy
    card too much (i.e. causing him to revert to Level 0 play)
--- Counterplay: Anticipating based on the matchup (e.g. against Wayne
    Haddix) that the opponent will try a certain series of plays right off
    the bat and snapping him off
- Level 8 is hiding your "true" strategy card by using some suboptimal
  plays to make the opponent guess you are trying a different strategy than
  the one you really are. For example, you throw in Runs 1, 2, and 4 early
  in the game to make your opponent think you are full-random playcalling,
  when in fact your true frequency at the end of the game will approximate
  Level 3.
-- Beat it by not getting too far off the actual frequencies in use in the
   game. Even if you think the opponent is on one strategy card, if they
   keep going back to a certain play, or if that play is the real threat,
   you punish that one.
--- Counterplay: if the opponent gets stuck on a particular set of plays,
   change your strategy card from the one you were hiding to de-emphasize
   those plays.

Ideally, you would keep track of which play was called in every situation along
with what player the MAN chose against the formation, in order to predict the
next move. However, our working memories are not nearly big enough to handle
this. Instead, you should use some heuristics such as the following:
- "Highlight" each play as you see the opponent using it. Then, every so often,
wipe it clear and use that strategy card for the next iteration.
-- Remember to do the same for your own playcalling tendency, at least.
- Tick off run or pass tendency based on down.
- See if your opponent is consistently alternating tendency (you can gamble
and sell out against the run if so)
- Keep a "number" of the 4 pass plays, and increment it for every play call.

The other consideration you have to think about is how many plays you are 
actually putting into the sample set under consideration for determining the
opponent's strategy card. Assuming that the opponent is reasonably successful
in a drive, and is getting first downs (12 first downs in a game, say), then
if the drive has gone for 3 first downs, you are talking about something like
9 plays to form a concept of the strategy card. If the opponent is full-random
playcalling, that card is likely to be lit for all 7 plays. If the opponent
is 75% pass, then you're going to have 1 or 2 runs maybe, and all the passes
lit up. In other words, against a strong opponent, you are likely going to be
focused on tendency and any high-frequency pass play, or pass play that has
high expectation against you (e.g. Redgun Z Slant, R&S Z Fly). Only when the
opponent is showing a very strong bias across drives do you really sell out
on an identified tendency, because your sample size (1-2 drives a quarter)
is small from a predictive standpoint.

Ok...so what does this mean in concrete terms?

Discovering the MAN's tendency at any point (one path):
A discovery play or two to find general tendency
If you get your play called, those are possible anchor plays or complement
constituents.
If you don't get your play called and haven't been calling a particular play,
you know that's likely the MAN's anchor. You might try calling it in short
yardage to keep him using that anchor. However, it's better just to force him
off his preferred anchor, or bait it in a critical 3rd/4th down.

Situation based tendencies:
You mostly just have to keep dual books, one for overall and one for situation.
(Or just know the situational ones and re-synthesize overall)
Key to discover in advance is also to track personnel used. If they show the
same personnel in certain situations, that should show you their complement
between the two of them.

Game flow:
With strong tendency one way or the other, you want to go against that mostly.
If it's a run strength, you probably want to start pass. If it's a pass
strength, you probably still want to start pass to see what defensive
complements your opponent is going to try against you. You can always pass or
always run if you see the opposing tendency. Tend to lean towards your non
R&S passes when you do this probe.
Then you have to measure how stubborn your opponent is towards his opening
strategy/how quickly he will adapt to your opposite tendency. This you are 
measuring throughout the course of the drive. You flow where he flows and keep
changing plays. If you find he is stubborn, you've beaten him - good enough.
If you find he is flexible, then you want to quantify how many plays
will cause him to adapt. Then key off that frequency and switch what you are
doing at that point. Do vary your frequency to see if he is also trying to key
on your strategy card frequency changes. If he is trying to follow you, then
go full-random playcalling and burn him in the passing game, because the result
of his following you is going to be that he mixes runs and passes all over the
place, and has no anchors or pattern that will get you in trouble.
 


----------------------------------------------------------------
Strategy card <=> game situation/matchup interplay (how well your chosen
plays would actually play out on the field)


Only strong running teams justify run playcalling of more than 25% or so.
Every time you call a run play against a pass, you probably give up a
first down or more, so if for example you were to call 50% runs against
50% passes, 25% of the time you would get in a mismatch and give up the
first down. At 4 downs per series, that's marching to the end zone. 
Consequently you will spend most of your time in pass defense and have to
get called plays in order to beat strong players.
Naturally a strong opponent will abuse the Run 3 they use, and maybe Run 1
or even 2&4 if they have success with them. Even if you catch them in Run 3
for a 3 yard loss, they can either come back to it for 10 yards or, if you
sit on it, they can get wide open receivers for 10+ yards.

Understand that if you call a run play, with the number of open receivers
that happen, you've basically sold out no matter what run you called.
Consequently you should tend to call run based on tendency (lowest overall
gain) and call pass based on play. Normally this means you sit on Run 3.
Likewise, most good pass plays will almost always have an open receiver, so
you should keep calling pass plays regardless of how successful you are with
the run; your expected gain is likely the same even if the opponent is
calling passes.

Playcalling is not just about the plays themselves; it's also about the
players being used. If you force your opponent to use a defensive back,
you've probably won the matchup because you can target his coverage
responsibility (assuming you chose plays that require all 4 defensive backs
to cover them). Consequently, in playcalling, you want to target the
opponent's strong linebackers and defensive linemen (which you usually do
via the run), and likewise the MAN wants to protect those players, or just
avoid getting rolled.

Usually you wind up with a dead play in Run 4. This is an opportunity to try
and make the unprepared opponent deal with some random dive play. You
usually see Onesetback Dive naked as the implementation of this concept.
However, this will often fail against strong players, or even not that
strong players who just happen upon the correct player to stop that
formation. 

It is very easy and reliable to throw R&S Sweep R, or any other strong run,
out in clock-bound situations. Remember that a field goal is a worthy
objective, and you only have to get to the 45 or so to make a reasonable
attempt. It's also surprisingly reliable when backed up in your own end
zone, especially when you compare it against a pass play with a
questionable QB. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Offensive player selection/lineup

This is team and playbook specific - but there are a few notes that you
should consider when selecting teams or swapping between QBs:

Bo Jackson is only about 1/3 faster than Mosi Tatupu - key difference
is ability to make CPU miss.

QB Eagles is about 20-25% faster than BJ Tolliver. Very similar timings
on the diagonal out of bounds play (3 yards on top, 4 yards on bottom)

John Elway and BJ Tolliver are basically indistinguishable when scrambling.

In other words, a lot of people overrate moderately fast QBs, because they
assume that CPU drones will be the biggest factor in how far they run.
However, you can train yourself to make the CPU LB dive and miss prior to
your scramble, mitigating most of the disadvantage of having a slower QB
in those situations. QB Eagles is truly special because he can straight
out dodge a called play blitz, but most Tecmo QBs can't do that. 

What that also means is that your receiver selection can be too heavily
skewed towards speed. If your receiver is stopping on the play, his speed
only matters for the first two or three seconds. This particularly applies
for RB #2 because he tends to run a lot of short routes. You should really
think about increasing his HP or REC instead of looking at raw speed in
that position. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
Defensive player selection for the play

The tradeoffs between players will be noted in the formation/play sections.
The key thing is to avoid being predictable in which player you choose
unless you think your choice is always the best one (i.e. don't be ROLB a
huge amount because you are going to attract R&S Sweep L). However,
varying between two or three players is quite sufficient for this
purpose. Don't start using DBs or iffy LBs just to satisfy this principle.

In general you ask the question: against a strong playbook, or even a
middling one, why would you ever use a DB? There are several considerations:
- You called a pass and are defending a certain run where that DB has a
  clear advantage (e.g. the FS against R&S Sweep L, David Fulcher against
  R&S Sweep R run by Detroit or any team with weak guards and WR #2) 
- You intend to sell out on certain run defenses e.g. with the LCB
  against R&S Sweep R
- You know you sold out on run and are making sure you have at least one
  good pass defender to force the short throw. Typically you should use the
  CBs here, because sometimes the safeties will drop into coverage. However,
  that depends on the nature of the run defense you are going for. 
- You are backed up into the end zone and so the DB's responsibility is
  deep coverage against a QB without a lot of PS. In this case you want to
  shut down the middle throws and be able to stuff the QB run, so you take
  your best defender and force the QB to run against pulled-up corners.
- You are going against a weak QB and are really trying to go for the INT.
- You know the CB or S on that side is going to cover a short receiver and
you intend to double cover an anticipated deep throw. 

The NT is basically always weak because of no lurching, but is rarely
specially targeted. 

Recognize that even Rod Woodson isn't able to get from the sideline to the
middle of the field in less than 2 seconds. If you think that the MAN is
going to try something like the Pro T Flare C WR #2 flatten-out, you have
to choose a player that is going to dissuade or stop that throw. 

----------------------------------------------------------------
In passing, manipulating the opponent to cover the wrong receiver, or
manipulating the quarterback to make a bad throw


You can physically stop a pass using the following techniques:

- Standing on the WR
- Being close to him and getting an autodive onto him
- Getting into the passing lane and tipping or intercepting the pass.
  Visually, this works best when you are roughly 3/4-7/8 of the way between
  the QB and the receiver, although this varies based on the QB's PS. 
- Getting up on the QB's grill and blocking the pass. You just need to get
  close to the QB, you don't even really need to be in the passing lane
  itself. 
- Getting up on the QB and causing him to make an inaccurate throw

However, the real challenge is in forcing the MAN to make a mistake and
throw it directly into coverage, instead of throwing deep balls into
single coverage that are hard for you to defend. 

When you have two open receivers, one short and one long, to choose
between, the rough progression of coverage is:

- Start covering the short receiver, circle and be ready to bail out to the
  long receiver, tipping the pass if the QB tries it. This forces the QB to
  hold the ball, allowing your pass rush to get up on him. 
- Bail out to the long receiver if he has actual room to run to the ball. At
  this point, the MAN will try to check to the short receiver most of the
  time. Usually you just have to give him this throw.
- If the MAN keeps holding the ball, you can try and bait him into throwing it
  back to the short receiver, while you return to the screen and cover on him.
  This works best when the receiver, DB, and QB are in line. 
- On the goal line and in parts of the red zone, you tend to let the long
  receivers go, hoping the QB will throw it out of the back of the end zone. 

When you have two receivers on either side of the field, your technique is to
try and convince the QB to hold the ball, and to switch back and forth between
the two players to manipulate his marker. What that typically means is that
you start on his preferred receiver, and when you see his marker move off, or
better yet, anticipating his marker move by timing or feel, you switch your
coverage to the other receiver. 

The other situation you frequently wind up in is where the QB is trying to run
and at the same time, there's one receiver open. In this case, you want to
stay close enough to that receiver to tip the pass, hoping to get the QB to
throw the ball. If he runs it, he had that anyway, and you can contain him.
The only time you charge the QB is when the QB is iffy and when you can get a
big stop, intending to force the pass incomplete or get a block. The other
thing you can try to time in that situation is to give the QB the receiver on
a throw that's difficult for him to complete. For example, if you are on R&S
Flare C and you have the open TE running out, you can try and charge the QB,
trying to get the QB to then lead the receiver out of bounds or towards your
DBs, or even to get the ball thrown into an area where the defenders
will jump and tip the pass. 

Normally you are triangulating in a way that prefers:
- Cover the marked (short) receiver with your body, e.g. autodive
- Cover the other receiver by staying in the passing lane
so you typically stay behind the short receiver. 

The other factor you want to keep in mind is that you have a little time as he
checks to his second option. Once you see that marker move, you can usually
bail to the second option, provided the MAN has pass rush coming at him. The
elite players are good enough to full-circle the marker and come back to the
original receiver, but remember that you were screwed anyway when the two
receivers came open. All you are trying to do is to avoid the big play and
make the MAN consistently execute high technique against you. 

Make sure to vary the shape of your circle motion so that the QB can't time
your cut back to the short receiver, to open up the longer-distance option. 

One other wrinkle you can put on is softness of coverage. If you see that a
particular receiver is going to run out into the flat, instead of smothering
that receiver, you can try and time it so that you intersect on the place
where the receiver will be running towards the ball. This works well with
lower PS QBs, or on certain throws that can wind up going long. What this
really buys you is the ability to hold out on shorter coverage for longer, by
moving out the spot you're trying to get to. Of course, if the target jumps
for the ball, you probably just autodived. 


----------------------------------------------------------------
A-button tapping (vs. dive tackling)


If you have support on a play, there is no reason to dive tackle. It's
extremely risky in most matchups, and if your opponent knows you are the
kind of player that does this, you can get burned for big plays very easily. 

In order to reduce the risk of the dive tackle, you want to get the MAN
going on a line. The way you can think of it is that your defender will
dive wherever the MAN was last. So you make a line with your mind between
your defender's position and the MAN about a quarter or half second ago.
If that line goes through the MAN, you won't miss the dive tackle, assuming
that he isn't right about to vertical cut out of that path. 

The other thing you can do is to box the MAN in, so he has nowhere to go but
through your dive tackle. You see this most frequently on dive plays, e.g.
Onesetback Dive, where the MAN is really exposed going into the hole. However,
if you can back the MAN against the edge of the field, or with a line of
blockers on the other side, you can also run it that way. 


----------------------------
Methods for Quickly Tapping the A Button

Unfortunately, to be an elite Tecmo player, you have to be
able to hold your own in the tapping game. There are several 
different methods:

Edge of thumb, hand wrapped on controller: not recommended,
this is fairly slow. You may be able to get good results,
depending on the controller, by moving your thumb on and off
the controller, but that tends to beat up the controller and
your hand. 

Middle of thumb, hand wrapped on controller: can be 
surprisingly fast if paired with some controller movement.
This technique also puts less stress on your wrists and 
forearm than the higher-speed techniques. Also useful if
standing or in other awkward positions, as it will have a
secure grip to the controller. 

Forefinger edge down, hand off controller: the favored 
technique of "Best in World" Sobhi and the technique you
will see most elite players use. This will somewhat
outperform a thumb technique. It will wear out your wrists
very quickly, however; I don't recommend doing this if you
work on computers or at other repetitive-stress inducing
jobs. Requires a decent but not perfect surface and can
be paired with controller tilt on playcalling, and does not
require switching fingers depending on play role. 

Thumb and middle finger curl, depress button with middle
finger: this is the technique used by "Master Higgins", 
Toshiyuki Takahashi. Capable of achieving extremely high
speeds, and doesn't cause as much RSI as the finger-down
style. The disadvantage is that your middle finger wants to
slip off the controller, and the tendency to laterally pull
the controller will exacerbate that. You have to have good
surface to perform this; I might even go so far as to put
a patch on my leg to keep the controller down. Also, this
technique makes it difficult to use the QB; typically you
hold the controller in one of the other positions and then
switch to full-on tapping. Consequently it is a fairly
error-prone technique. 


----------------------------------------------------------------
Clock management

----------------------------
Run Out Of Bounds To Save Time

Remember that whenever you run out of bounds you 
stop the clock. This is very useful for capping time-
consuming returns by simply running out around the 
ten-yard line. It takes more than a minute to return 
the ball all the way into the end zone from your own, 
whereas passes where receivers can move straight out 
into the end zone can take less than 15 seconds. 

----------------------------
Use Your Time-Outs

Remember, even if you're winning, use the time-outs 
you have whenever the half is about to finish and you 
need more time on offense. Obviously, a losing team 
should use them on both defense and offense. However,
if you choose your plays very quickly, you may
actually lose time choosing the time-out. 

----------------------------
Ways To Waste Time

1. A strong punt can waste 30 or more seconds of 
game time. Try to keep the ball from landing
into the endzone (and thus forcing a return)
for maximum effect.

2. Dawdle on the play screen. You can burn 10
seconds this way.

3. Call a pass and run backwards and forwards, 
dodging opponents, and get tackled near out of 
bounds to avoid fumbling. If you can make a wild
throw and you have a QB with low PS, then you can
waste even more time by passing the ball off with
a bomb.

4. On third down, choose a running play with your
fastest runner, whether he's a RB or a WR. Then,
run backwards until you get to your own 20- or 30-
yard line, and dawdle there until you get tackled.
Then make a booming punt on fourth down into the
end zone to avoid a big return (although if you
have great coverage, you can also leave it in
bounds and dive tackle).


----------------------------------------------------------------
"Standard" Playbook

The base playbook you will see over and over again in tournaments is:
R&S Sweep L
T Power Dive
R&S Sweep R
R&S QBSneak (or some other dive)
R&S Flare C
R&S Z Fly
Pro T Flare C
Redgun Z Slant (you also see several other, weaker plays, here)

This is what you will see me focus on, because
a) with a good QB, it optimizes passing against most teams
b) it attacks ROLB, which is a strong position on a lot of teams and is
   often used to stop R&S Sweep R
c) you usually maintain ambiguity on run or pass, which means your 
   opponent may play suboptimally against it
d) T Power Dive is a play that a lot of people mis-play, compared to
   alternatives like motion plays, T sweeps down low, or R&S dives. In
   other words, it's relatively better against the weaker players, while
   not giving up all advantage against stronger ones. 

There are a few adjustments you tend to make to this:

If you are dealing with a QB like B.J. Tolliver, John Elway, or Bubby Brister,
R&S Z Fly is very dangerous on a called play. I now lean towards Shotgun X
Curl because you get an outlet and don't have to take a sack with these QBs.

Against a strong LOLB, you may bail out on the T Power Dive, in which case you
will usually replace Pass 3 with Shotgun X Drive. What you do with Run 2 and
Run 4 in that case varies:
- If you have a decently fast RB, you can try and go with Weakside Open. 
- If you know you can out-tap your opponent, you can put in the Oneback Sweep
  R and the Onesetback Dive. However, this is a big gamble play based on
  matchups (particularly if you installed Playaction Z In) because the LOLB
  dive is still there. You will see strong ILBs and safeties used against this
  look. 
- You can install the T Sweep Strong, but know that if the team has any good
  ROLBs, RILBs, or LILBs, you're going to get a backfield beat-down. This is a
  reasonable option if you still want to keep Pro T Flare C in for the passing
  game.  

Note that once you install Weakside Open, Shotgun X Curl and Shotgun X Drive,
you basically have a playbook suitable for no-holds-barred games.

If you play against a team that has weak ROLBs and LOLBs (e.g. Chicago Bears),
you can install Toss Sweep R and FB Power Drive, then swap R&S Z Fly with
Offset Flare E. In this case, the weaknesses of these plays won't be so sorely
exposed.  


----------------------------------------------------------------
Other Common Playbook Looks


Toss Sweep R + FB Power Dive + Offset Flare E (sometimes you see Play Action).
You attack this either with a strong ROLB or a strong LOLB, maybe an LILB.
Failing that, RCB and FS are common choices that can work. 

Various Onesetback (no motion) plays. Here you just use the LOLB and stay
disciplined. The passes aren't as strong and the opponent can often become
one-dimensional because of those limitations. 

Sometimes people will throw in an FB Open L with their Oneback Sweep R. If
they have the Onesetback Dive, you can just bail out of FB Open L, but the
other option is to just use DBs since the passing game out of this is weak. 

T sweeps. Typically you would prefer to use LILB here and free up your boys on
the sweep. You can use ROLB or RILB with good effect though, as long as you
can handle the power dives.
You can also consider using DBs on these because a lot of times the route
pattern will bail you out, especially in longer yardage. It takes courage for
most players to throw over the team's best DB to WR #2. 

FB Offtackle R + Weakside Open (so two plays that work sort of similarly).
This changes the strategy a little bit, but not much, since you're probably
bringing the ROLB, FS, or RCB down anyway. If you are matched up against a
relatively slow running back, you can take on your blocker at the point of
attack and beat it that way. 

R&S Y Up - you see this way more than you should. It's a weak play because the
bottom receivers are covering each other. For no particular reason, players
that install this abuse it.



----------------------------------------------------------------
Training Regimen

I successfully used this type of training regimen to get myself from a knockout
in the loser's bracket in group play at Madison XII (due to throwing picks
over the middle, amongst other mistakes) to going 3-1 in group play and
getting a win in the main tournament bracket in MWTecmo IX. If you watch
my performance in the live stream (and had you been able to watch my play
in other games) you would have seen that marker technique and passing lanes,
along with some playcalling improvement, are still the things that are most
important for me to improve upon. The bottom line is that in order to win
these tournaments, you have to be rock-solid in the passing game.

Everything should be practiced on both sides using MAN vs. COA and
MAN vs. MAN; you can even practice run defense on the right side, you just
won't have a RB come out. You can still practice shedding the blockers. 

Unless noted, passing practice should be done against passing calls only.
Running practice should be done against both passes and run defenses.

Called Plays: practice every play called, particularly pass plays. On run
plays, you should escape the blockers some of the time. On pass plays, you
should either consistently throw the ball out of bounds, or hit the call-safe
receivers. You should practice hitting both the primary and late-in play
call-safe receivers. At the end of this, you should be able to score
touchdowns reliably even when every play is getting called; and you shouldn't
throw picks. You can't rely on called plays to win against an elite player,
but you must avoid turnovers on the called plays - and you will be able to
suck out wins against lesser competition with the yards you gain. 

Single-Receiver Progression: Practice marker technique until you can look at a
receiver and automatically tap to that receiver.

2-Man Progression: Start on one open receiver. Switch to the other receiver
and throw. Then start on the other receiver and switch to the other open. 

Re-Cycle Progression: Start on one open receiver. Switch to the second option
(this is you showing the MAN where you are going). Then switch back to the 
original option and throw (punishing the defensive jump on the ball). 

Pocket Discipline: Mark the open receiver and dodge the CPU as long as you
can. Then throw to the next open receiver.

Reading Defenses: Call the play over and over again and minimize the time it
takes for you to know which receivers are open. Throw as quickly as you can to
the open receivers in order to practice quick decisions. 

Slow and Fast RBs: Practice your runs on both slow and fast RBs: in
particular, use Mosi Tatupu and practice against the PIT defensive speed. This
will teach you the importance of vertical cut and north-south running. You
should be getting to breakout most of the time. 

Passing Lanes: Throw over the middle and don't get any passes blocked at the
LOS or by CPU defenders. Pass blocking is the bail-out that guys use on the
goal line and it will kill you in the tournament situation unless you know how
to throw to each receiver and avoid the drones. 

QB Running: Highlight a receiver on the other side of the field and run the
QB. This will teach you to avoid the sideline and run with some room to dodge
to the bottom. It will also teach you to be disciplined and run straight ahead
to get the most yardage. 

Fast QB Passing: Use pocket discipline, especially on called plays, to get
additional passing opportunities with QB Eagles and Vinny Testaverde.

QB Completion Percentage: Throw every route with bad QBs and learn how to
throw the ball to get a high completion percentage. Some throws are not viable
with some QBs and you have to learn either to wait or to make adjustments to
get a reasonable completion percentage.  

Defensive Block-Shedding: Practice getting rid of your blocker against the
plays you know you will see in the tournament. Typically this is LILB or RILB
on the same side as the run. 

Defensive Bail-Out: Practice containing run plays when you clearly chose the
wrong player. e.g. surviving as ROLB against R&S Sweep L. 

Defensive Switch: Practice switching your pass coverage from one open receiver
to the other.

Known-Run Stuffing: Practice run plays over and over again until you can stop
the CPU cold. Everything but Run 3 should be a net zero for the
CPU, or at least few enough yards that the CPU will fail to get a first down
on 3 plays. This teaches you how to sell out on certain runs, which is what
you use on 4th down and on the goal line. 

Unknown-Formation Run Stuffing: You will have to call the plays, but choose
the defender you would use if you didn't know the play being called. This
teaches you bend-don't-break defense, which you will play all over the field.

COM Simulated Game At Disadvantage: Use run plays over and over again while
calling passes, while you pass and run, and the CPU is either calling your
plays or getting the correct tendency 100% of the time. Make sure you simulate
having to switch to your second and even third option, because that is what
the MAN will do. 

COM Real Game: After all this practice, this should be easy. However, in the
COM real game, you are trying to get offensive reps primarily, so you are
going to run out of bounds once you've broken away from the defense. You are
also trying to make sure that after all that passing practice, you can still
play well when 3 or 4 receivers are open.