As in all of these articles we will be using a R&S play book to show our examples. This article will help to show the versatility of this playbook. It will also show why certain plays are chosen and others are not.
Now lets look at the lineup I choose earlier.
In the earlier video I was playing against Pittsburg. This running offense in this set is designed to discourage the use of DB1 and LB1. Which just happen to be the two best players on Pittsburg defense. The first two running plays send two blockers to crush LB1. At the same time the top wr follows around Woodson. Let’s not forget the sweep effects players on the oppisite of the field. Finally the QB sneak is very effective against cornerbacks and the first three linebackers. You can run it both as designed down or up. It is also very useful in the redzone if you need 4-6 yards. People will think your running it if you need a yard but if you need 5 and they have been a lb 2 all game. Then they are wide open to it.
Making this a very effective playbook against Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburg, GB, SD, Wash, Dal, KC and other corner back/ LB1 strong teams. Its less effective against teams with a strong safety like Chi, Cin, Det, NYJ, SF. Some teams have unique personel and it depends on what player the human uses. Like Hou with a great db1 and a tough LB4.
Against teams with a tough safety I recommend chaning the second run to one of these plays.
The best all around play is T power dive. Weakside open works better if you can tap good. Oneback sweep is simmilar to weakside open as it works better if you tap better. Most running plays in tecmo do not have several lead blockers. Instead most of the action happens at the line of scrimmage at the snap. If your not a great tapper then you need deception, a human mistake or a blocker to be more effective in the run game.
The next thing when picking runs is to recognize great 4th Linebacker. Greene on the rams, Childress on Hou, Fletcher (Den), Bennett (Buf), Haley (SF) and possibly Banks on the Giants. Running T power dive might be impossible against them. In fact any up the middle run or a play action might get blown up at the snap.
Use weakside open and the lb 4 will be blocked naturally. He might not even pick the lb 4. If he does then run the ball away from the lb 4. By the time you get down there he will have out tapped the defender.
When running the ball the trick is to avoid/ get rid of the human defender. When you cannot escape either go out of bounds or get as close to the sidelines as possible. This will reduce the odds of a fumble. Finally if you get a breakaway. In tecmo like hockey that means the defenders are all behind you. Then you have to practice a few basic jukes to score. If you just run straight the drones catch you. If you zig zag to much the human gets you.
We’ll make it easy and pick out a nice 50 ms running back. You should progressively work your way back down till you can fool drones with as low as a 31 ms back. Why 31 ms? Cause New England’s fastest back is 31 ms and that is the slowest starting back in the game. Let’s go with the Wash against Dal. If you do it right every play should be a td with a bare minimum of zig zags. Later you can even make player two coach and pick one of the other runs. This will make it even tougher.
tecmo101 
great write up!
thanks.
Great write-up.
Mort, would NYG be considered a “great LB1” team, or does the fact that they have an all-star LB corps put them in a different defensive category?
I would say both. Keep in mind a great player at LB1 can be targeted by the playbook. For example the run and shoot play 1, pro form up the middle and the onesetback plays can make it difficult on LB1. Its nice that the Giants have three other linebackers to lean back upon. Its not perfect. I’ve had mixed results using Reasons in coverage. He is great when he gets to the play but slow. I’m not that big on LB2 although Pepper Johnson is great. As for Carl Banks if he goes into good it can be scary. I think he is often overlooked when someone plays as the Giants. In good he should be able to do the LB4 lurch as good as any of the great LB4’s in the game. Yet there is no real way to tell when he is in good unless you guess right or get lucky to pull that move off.
What I think that puts the Giants on the next level defensively is the Defensive Backs. Having a 63 int Db1 along with a 56 int db4 is a nice combination to support the various Linebackers.