It’s easy for younger Packers fans to disassociate from just how brutal the 70s and 80s were for the NFL’s only publicly owned franchise. During these decades of darkness, visions of Ice Bowl glory shifted to taunting lore as the proud “frozen tundra” metaphor was turned on its head, making the struggling Green Bay a Siberian wasteland where careers went to perish. A 10-win 1989 season came like a balm from the spirit of Lombardi, despite the Packers getting crowded out of the post-season in a highly competitive NFC playoff race. There were few offensive tandems that year as electric as Majkowski to Sharpe, and few sack masters on defense as ferocious as Tim Harris. Then in the 1990 draft, Tony Bennet and two future Pro Bowlers gave the the Packers a healthy glow of youth on a defense that promised good things to come.
However, the 1990 Packers of Tecmo Super Bowl accurately embody a team that fell flat after a single season of promise. Hopes were alive when three straight mid-season wins brought them to 6-5, but dropping their final five contests sealed the identity of another Packers “gory” year. While Tecmo’s Sterling Sharpe remains a wide receiver with top ten skills, Don Majkowski lacks a supporting cast of note to elevate his own middle-of-the-road attributes. Tim Harris offers some star power on defense, but is not nearly the dominant force of his 19.5 sack campaign in his previous Pro Bowl year. While gaining invaluable experience in supporting roles during the 1990 season, the Packers’ young talent appear are left out behind a linebacker and secondary corps manned by stiff-jointed veterans.
But such is the stuff that sleepers are made of. Because in Tecmo, working to the strengths of a single star on an otherwise ungifted offense can quickly bring your equally matched opponent from feelings of overconfidence to helplessness. Don’t be misled: it’s never an easy task to lead a weak Tecmo team to victory, even when playing a team in your tier group. There’s just too much that can go wrong. But that is why we play Tecmo: the outcome is never guaranteed until each gamer has had his say. For the power of a sleeper lies in orchestrating the unexpected.
Offense
Line-up — With just a couple more productive seasons, Sterling Sharpe would today find himself in an NFL Hall of Fame that is already chock full of wide receivers. During his neck injury-shortened career of seven seasons (in which he never missed a start), Sharpe was a Pro Bowler five times. He led the league in receptions three times and receiving touchdowns twice. It stands to reason that he sticks out like a sore thumb on this way below average Tecmo Packers squad. The game equips Sharpe with a 50 MS (max speed) and 75 REC (reception ability) that mirror those of Stephone Paige, the Chiefs receiver who often goes unnoticed on a run-first offense featuring human anomaly Christian Okoye. As another point of reference, on the receiver totem pole Sharpe ranks just below Gary Clark, the rising Super Bowl Champion Redskin’s best wide-out, and just above Curtis Duncan, the freakish Oiler’s number four receiver. While Don Majkowski is no bumbling fool of a quarterback, it’s accurate to say that Sharpe often makes him look better than he actually is. Still, if the quarterback position weren’t so rediculously central to success in Tecmo, this Packers offense would be eight parts Sharpe and only one part Majkowski.
That one other part would belong to running back Keith Woodside. While his 44 MS isn’t what one would call pathetic, there are four teams with a rusher other than their feature back who is faster than Woodside, while back-ups from four other teams match him stride for stride (the Rams and 49ers have three backs at 44+ MS apiece). But the running game is paramount in Tecmo, even for poor rushing teams, if for any other reason than to set up the pass. And as should be abundantly clear by now, the Packers are all about the pass. Woodside’s 38 REC doesn’t help his bid for balls thrown his way on an offense whose supporting trio of receivers bear a 50 MS each. Trust me: during a live tournament game I’ve made the mistake of flipping to Woodside on a blitzed pass, only to have it picked off by a Saints linebacker at my own five yard-line. I ended up winning the match in over-time, however, so I’ve been able to show restraint from knighting the unexceptional Packers back with the monicer “Dead Wood.”
Notes from the Gamers — If all goes according to plan, campaigning with the Packers can look like Kamp’s victory over Laztlain in this “Tecmo Tournament League XII” video [below]. Kamp opens by kicking to Laztlain, and it’s actually the latter who gets on the board first with a deep completion to Kane followed by a few good runs. Kamp responds with his own epic bomb to Sterling who has been neglected by the Seahawks’ secondary AI. A hot route dump off plus two runs later and the score is knotted up. Kamp’s defense afllows another heave to Kane, who’s not quick enough to gain paydirt, leading to Harris’ block of Norm Johnson’s field goal attempt (utilizing the LB1 maneuver that isn’t legal in some competitive scenarios). With three minutes left in the second quarter, Kamp now has the perfect amount of time to orchestrate a ten play, four first down drive to essentially end out the half.
After the half, momentum is unquestionably in Kamp’s favor as he gets the ball back already up a score. He can allow his receivers to spread the field while Majkowski nibbles up enough yards with his feet to move the chains several times. Laztlain, primarily manning speedy defensive end Jacob Green, has too much to contend with in keeping an eye on open receivers and trying to help on Sharpe as well. This is the exact scenario that works in Kamp’s favor, and after his third straight TD drive, there’s not a whole lot Laztlain can do at that point to get back in the game. Some teams — and the Seahawks are definitely one of them — are just not equipped to come back from a two-score deficate with little over a quarter to play.
You could contend that a couple lucky things went Kamp’s way in this game that propelled him to victory, such as getting the field goal block and sneaking in a touchdown before half, both which significantly shifted the complexion of the game. But Kamp does a couple other impressive things that shows he knows what he’s doing and that he is in fact guiding the odds toward his favor. I wouldn’t call the opening bomb to Sharpe anything out of the ordinary, because that’s a pretty standard mode of Tecmoers operation the Packers. Sharpe’s second touchdown to close out the half, however, was a perfectly timed route whereby Kamp needed to throw into an exact window that left Sharpe open, but didn’t allow Majik to throw past the endzone. On his third drive, Kamp again shows route awareness by threading the needle to an unspeedy Haddix, who is on a lower screen go-route from the tight end position. Haddix getting past the secondary, you say? That’s what you call user awareness.
The other tecnique Kamp uses to his advantage is in the running game. On both of his first half drives, Kamp exectues a T Power Sweep with a twist, one with each Woodside and Haddix. In either case Kamp benefits from having his rusher in the sphere of a lineman who comes to the aid of the Packers running back when he is grappled with a Seahawks defender. In either case Laztlain’s avatar gets popped out the play, allowing Woodside and Haddix to rumble for a drive sustaining first down. Now in addition to figuring out a way to make a comeback, Latzlain has an unexpected wrinkle to ponder in the back of his mind, “how do I stop that damn T power sweep?” Anytime you can dish out that kind of distraction to your opponent it’s a major plus
Common Opponent Game Plans —
Patriots — The Patriots have a slightly better defense than the Packers, not that this is saying much. A slower-than-Harris Andre Tippit leads the linebacker corps from the LB1 position. Like the Packers’ Nelson, defensive end Ray. Agnew brings D-line speed that is helpful in preventing third-and-long conversions. What the Patriots have that the Packers don’t is an esteemed defensive back in Ronnie Lipppett, whose no-joke 63 INT is worth a leaping pick-off if Majik Man forces the envelope. However, the Patriots are easily schemed against using a standard R&S playbook designed to account for a CB/LB1 defense. Sharpe can be interchanged between the WR1 and WR2 positions: the first option forces a manned Lippett to cover the whole field, while the second makes a 31 INT Rod McSwain putty in the hands of Sharpe if Lippett doesn’t do his free safety a solid and offer double coverage.
Saints — The Saints defense is in a distinctly higher class than the lowly Packers ‘D’, but thanks to the countering magic of Sharpe, overall these teams form an even and interesting match-up. Forming the top half of the linebacker corps, Pat Swilling and Vaughan Johson’s identically respectable attributes suggest they could be brothers. Defensive end Renaldo Turnbell and nose tackle Jim Wilks differ on just one tick of HP, but they both bring a three-tick advantage when grappling the Packers’ Rich Moran and James Campen, respectively. While this disparity won’t automatically cause issues for Majkowski’s bubble, it’s certainly in the realm of possibilities given the malleability of Tecmo conditions from quarter to quarter. And if P Swill or VJ start pulling stunts up front, Majik may have no choice other than a shuttle pass to Dead Wood, er, Woodside. A man opponent will likely make occasional use of second cornerback Robert Massey’s 50 MS / 56 INT in efforts to contain Sterling’s ever-present deep threat. Given the Saints’ wide variety of talent, a balanced run/pass offense attack is your best choice against the them.
Falcons — At first one might think the Packers are mismatched when up against the Falcons, a team whose offense pairs running back Mike Rozier’s 50 MS with a top-five wide receiver in Andre Rison. But even with Deion Sanders’ every-down coverage capability, the Falcons ‘D’ is otherwise so lethargic that the Packers hold their own attacking advantage. There are running plays aplenty which are built to render your opponent’s upper cornerback ineffective. If Woodside is able to take advantage of these plays for some early first downs, you just might find your opponent reluctantly manning one the of Falcons’ flat-footed safeties, allowing Sharpe to claim the night. A playbook with some anamolies offers Sharpe play-making opportunities from either wide-out position while giving Deion constant confusion on defense.
Defense
Line-up — The Packers defense has double the number of stars as their offense: that is to say, two. Tim Harris boasts a 50 RP (speed acceleration) and 56 MS, both which rank as excellent for linebackers. His raw ability is on par with John Offerdahl (less speed, higher INT than Harris) of the Dolphins and Carl Banks (less speed, higher HP) of the Giants. However, unlike Offerdahl who as an MLB is well-positioned to cover the center of the field or occassionally blitz past the guards, Harris lines up high and outside at the LB1 position. And while Banks can blow plays up the middle with his reasonable speed and hella muscles, Harris is easily gameplanned against. The Packers’ other defensive star is one Bob Nelson, a nose tackle whose programmer-mistake 69 RP makes him a top-five lineman and, by extension, the best Packer Backer on paper. As a nose tackle, Nelson has the misfortune of being an unplayable position in certain live tournaments, making his sprinting powers an inevitable waste in the hands of the AI. However, If one is allowed to man Nelson then he is an excellent choice on passing downs, since he in essence can become a nickel back. He is uniquely gifted in his ability to chase after runs to the outside, much moreso than our friend Harris. Rely on him too much, however, and your opponent will quickly take advantage of a line of scrimmage you have left abandoned.
Every Tecmo defense has its share of curious roster omissions, and the Green Bay Packers are no different. While Tony Bennett was primed for consecutive 13-sack season in 91-2, he wasn’t yet a starter in ’90 and therefore does not appear in the game. Ditto with future pro bowl linebacker Bryce Paup, a 1990 rookie who would earn 7.5 force three fumbles in 1991 despite not starting until the final year. Another 1990 rookie, eventual four-time Pro Bowler LeRoy Butler, had the kind of hands, speed and smarts the Packers secondary sorely lacked, but alas he didn’t start until the following year, either. As luck would have it, the Packers leading interception leader in 1989, Dave Brown, was put on PUP the following year (then retired) and is understandably ommitted. All told, the Packers are just a year or two from developing some serious talent. But until then, well, swiss cheese.
Notes from the Gamers — Let it be known, the Packers have an extremely weak secondary. At the lower cornerback position, Mark Lee is nearly as pitiful as they come in Tecmo with a 31 INT, making teams with decent receivers lick their chops. Free Safety Chuck Cecil offers hardly any help at 38 INT, and both are only a 38 MS, making it a possibility that they aren’t even in closing distance when the ball is thrown to the receiver they’re supposed to be guarding. Jerry Holmes and Mark Murphey offer a 50 INT, at least, but a 31 MS each makes them hardly reliable for offering help. So how is one expected to guard the pass, especially against teams with a decent passing attack such as the Browns, Falcons and Jets? One option is to cover the field with Harris. Another choice is to do the same with Nelson. Yet another method is to put pressure on the QB with either, come what may. But really, there isn’t an ideal method in any of this.
Kamp again takes the Packers in another “Tecmo Tournament League XII” match-up, this time against Eightbitt’s Browns. Kamp tries his darndest to put a stop to the ‘onSlaughter’ by manning Nelson, Harris, and finally Holmes, but each effort is the same result: Webster Slaughter raising a celebratory finger in the air and QB Browns air-boxing a hapless opponent. Eightbitt doesn’t even try to diguise his method of attack. Immediately recognizing when the defense isn’t blitzing, QB Browns sets a reverse course from the line of scrimmage which makes it impractical for a manned Packers defender to give chase who hasn’t begun his rush immediately after the snap. Eightbitt then allows simple math to do the work: QB Browns’ 75 PC plus Slaughter’s 56 REC make it improbable for a gaggle of Packers defenders to make a play. Even Holmes’ attempt to chip in with his 50 INT is helpless to sway the odds. Could Kamp have played it better? Possibly, but that’s hindsight: in general, you have no choice but to count on your drones to make an occassional play in Tecmo. One manned defender can’t do everything.
Down by ten after giving up three first half touchdowns plus a field goal after a Majkowski INT, Kamp connects on a bomb of his own before finally getting a third quarter defensive stop. After allowing one first down, Kamp is able to survive three downs of deep chucks from QB Browns to Slaughter, putting Eightbitt at 4th and 10 on his own 25 yardline. Instead of punting, Eightbitt makes the curious decision to run a sweep, and he’s easily stopped for the turnover on downs. However, his strategy seems intentional: despite giving the ball over to Kamp in easy scoring position, Eightbitt has essentially turned the game into a two-possession contest. Even though Kamp scores a TD to go up by four points, Eightbitt has a healthy three minutes left to play “last posession.” You can bet it’s not his intention to huck and chuck to Slaughter for a quick score this time. The Browns run five straight times for three first downs, then QB Browns scrambles for another. Two last runs puts Metcalf in the endzone. After the kickoff the odds are stacked against Kamp for one final, desperate JJ lunge.
Common Opponent Gameplans —
Patriots — Thanks to one of the game’s worst starting quarterbacks in Marc Wilson combined with the slowest running back tandem Temo has to offer (31 MS each), the Patriots are never too much of a threat on offense. Even with with Marv Cook and Irving Fryar toting a 63 REC apiece, Wilson’s 44 PC doesn’t make them very dangerous unless they are in isolated coverage with a below-50 INT defensive back. This means that Harris can be manned by the user for virtually every play. Sure, the Patriots can gameplan for this, but their runing game likely won’t be effective enough to matter that much. That is, if they can even commit to the run at all.
Saints — The Saints provide one of the most even match-ups available for the Packers on both sides of the ball. While they lack offensive speed all-around, they have a power running game combined with a 69 REC Eric Martin out wide that makes things interesting. Harris can again be used as an everydown defender, but the Saints’ lack of speed makes it viable to choose other positions than the Packers LB1 when conducive.
Falcons — The Falcons present a stiff challenge for bottom ranking defense such as the Packers. If your opponent knows how to wield Rison and Rozier effectively, watch out. Lacking a heavy-hitting fullback, the Falcons will likely run almost exlusively out of the Run & Shoot playbook. This provides the threat of Falcons receivers running deep while Rozier has room to navigate amidst a slow Packers defense on tosses high and low. If the Falcons playbook shows a commitment to game planning for Harris, then it might be time to get ecclectic with your choice in manning Packers defenders. Depending on how well your opponent can maximize a below-par Miller or Millen at quarterback, you may have to keep Rison in mind at the start of each play
Special Teams
Line-up — Chris Jacke is a serviceable kicker — you could call him a Don Majkowski of the kicking game. While his 56 KA (kicking power/accuracy) is not stupendous, sinking FGs regularly from your opponent’s side of the field shouldn’t be a problem. However, his poor 38 AKB (avoiding blocked kicks) means you’ll want to get that kick off before the Pat Swillings and Tony Blaylocks of the world make their presence known. Punter Don Bracken is below average, though one might contend that punters in Tecmo really don’t matter all that much. His nearly basement-level 25 KA makes one feel he is tempting the opponent’s return men to make a play. Given that the Packers are so one-dimensional offensively, it’s not unlikely that Bracken will be called upon for a tick or two on the stat sheet if the game plan doesn’t flow as it’s meant to. So it’s a good practice when booting it with Bracken to shoot for the end zone to avoid that reluctant epic play.
When it comes to returning kick-offs, Michael Haddix ranks in the top third of the league on a good day, but don’t hold your breath on him. His 50 BC (ball carrying security) pairs well with his whopping 94 HP, but this can be misleading. You may be able to popcorn a few CPU avatars on your way up the field, but get too careless and you’ll get stuck on the open field where the sharks come to prowl. He may look the part initially but Haddix is certainly no Craig Heyward — while Ironhead’s default max speed is 44 MS (thanks to the contribution of right tackle Stan Brock), Haddix will only reach a meager 31 MS (from right tackle Tony Mandarich) in EXCELLENT condition. Haddix is your only sensible choice on PRs, so it’s not as if you have much of a choice. Whatever you do, don’t put in Sharpe while in season mode, due to the frequency of injury in the return game. No use in unnecessarily ending his already short career prematurely.
Final Thoughts
There are a small handful of teams the Packers have significant advantages over. Unless the match-up pits the Packers against the Colts, Seahawks or Patriots, I would strongly consider whether you have the grit and know-how to maximize Green Bay’s precious few weapons and mask their many weaknesses. If the Browns were on the table then I’m not sure what I would take, but if I did take the Pack, I would likely consider myself the underdog. As for the Falcons, Jets or Cardinals? Unless I was in the mood for a challenge, almost certainly not. Even a life-long Packer fan has his limits to loyalty!
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