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rbm software's FIELD GENERAL version 5.1 "UNEQUALLED in Pro Football Simulation" __________________________ USER'S MANUAL AND PLAYBOOK __________________________ Copyright (C) rbm software 1989, 1990, 1991, & 1992 All rights reserved. Release Date: 1-15-92 13117 Broughton Way, Austin Texas 78727-3147 "FIELD GENERAL brings the gridiron, in all its gory glory, to computer . . . We learned a lot about the game and had a good time in the process." - Noah Matthews, Knight-Ridder News Service __________________________________________________________________ QUOTES FROM USERS __________________________________________________________________ "Love the chalkboard screen! . . . It's the best game I've played." - Ted Lujan, Texas user "TTS [Tendency Tracking System] is great concept, so is TOPSTATS [all-time game records feature]" - Rob Marino, New Jersey user "I am delighted with my . . . copy of FIELD GENERAL . . . the game is great . . . FIELD GENERAL has the potential to be the best of all sports games" - Lawrence Pollane, New York user "FIELD GENERAL is the closest thing to pro football action off the playing field!" - Scott Bullock, Texas user "[T]he best football game I've seen yet!" - Robert Johnson, California user "Thanks for the GREAT game!" - Ray Ross, Maine user __________________________________________________________________ VITAL STATISTICS __________________________________________________________________ Hardware requirements: IBM or Compatible Computer, 580K RAM, Hard Disk, and CGA Graphics. _________________________________________________________________ TABLE OF CONTENTS _________________________________________________________________ General Disclaimer............................................. Unlawful Software Duplication and Use.......................... What is Shareware?............................................. Introduction to FIELD GENERAL.................................. Notes on Future Versions of FIELD GENERAL...................... Playing Options................................................ Automation................................................ Weather Elements.......................................... Precipitation........................................ Wind................................................. Regulation Length Game vs. Short Game..................... Normal Playing Conditions................................. The Real-Time Clock....................................... The Play Clock............................................ Using the Real-Time Clock Only During the Final Minutes of a Half................... American vs. International Rules.......................... The Two-Point Conversion.................................. Game Features - Miscellaneous.................................. Visitors' Jersey Colors................................... The Ball Marker........................................... Hashmarks................................................. Out of Bounds............................................. Touchdowns................................................ Fumbles................................................... Penalties................................................. Kickoffs.................................................. Kickoff "Hands" Team................................. Field Goals............................................... Fake Field Goals..................................... Field Goal Defense................................... Punts..................................................... Angle Punts.......................................... Fake Punts........................................... The No-Huddle Offense..................................... Wearing Down the Defense.................................. Time Outs................................................. Grounding the Ball........................................ Overtime.................................................. All-Time Game Records..................................... Utilities................................................. Accessing TTS Reports................................ Game Exit Function................................... Accessing Game Statistics............................ Activating/Deactivating Sound........................ Activating/Deactivating the Chalkboard Screen........ Adjusting game speed................................. Activating/Deactivating Encryption................... Statistics..................................................... Tendency Tracking System (TTS)................................. Strategy.................................................. The Plays...................................................... Terminology............................................... Choosing and Entering a Play.............................. User Input................................................ Play Results.............................................. A Final Note................................................... Computer Football Tournaments............................. Product Support Policy.................................... Appendices..................................................... Appendix A: Packing List................................. Text Files.............................. Files Needed to Run FIELD GENERAL....... Other Executable Files.................. Files to be Created - Game Records...... Appendix B: Weather Elements............................. Appendix C: The Game Clock............................... Without Real-Time Clock Option.......... Normal Time........................ Two Minute Warning Time............ With or Without Real-Time Clock......... With Real-Time Clock Option............. Appendix D: Field Goals.................................. Appendix E: The Playbook................................. Defenses................................ Offenses................................ Lexicon........................................................ _________________________________________________________________ GENERAL DISCLAIMER _________________________________________________________________ Users of FIELD GENERAL must accept this disclaimer of warranty: FIELD GENERAL is supplied as is. All warranties of merchantability and fitness, including suitability for a particular purpose, and incidental or consequential damages, are hereby denied. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNLAWFUL SOFTWARE DUPLICATION AND USE REGISTERED versions of rbm software's FIELD GENERAL Software, User's Manual, and Supplement to User's Manual are protected under copyright law. Unlawfully copying, duplicating, selling, or otherwise distributing these products is hereby expressly forbidden. Copies of registered versions of rbm software's FIELD GENERAL Software may be made for backup purposes only. Warranties, updates, and user support will not be honored for any program which has been unlawfully copied. Copyright 1988-1989 by Rodney B. Markert and copyright 1989- 1991 by rbm software, 13117 Broughton Way, Austin, Texas. All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any way or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording or through storage and retrieval mechanisms, without prior written consent of rbm software. The UNREGISTERED version of rbm's FIELD GENERAL Software and User's Manual (the Shareware version) may be copied and distributed freely as long as it is done so in its WHOLE (all files included) and UNALTERED form. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _________________________________________________________________ WHAT IS SHAREWARE? _________________________________________________________________ Shareware is a distribution method, not a type of software. You should find software which suits your needs and pocketbook, whether it's commercial or Shareware. The Shareware system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee - if you don't use the product, you don't pay for it. Shareware gives you the luxury of trying out working versions of programs at your own pace and in the comfort and convenience of your own home or work place. If, after trying the programs, you wish to continue to use them, you are TRUSTED to purchase them from the program's author or from an authorized dealer. In this manner, Shareware works well for both the author and the user of these programs. The unregistered version of FIELD GENERAL is a "Shareware program" and is provided at no charge to the user for evaluation. Users are free to share the unregistered version with their friends, but asked to please not give it away altered or as part of another system. The essence of "user-supported" software is to provide personal computer users with quality software without high prices, and yet to provide incentive for programmers to continue to develop new products. If users find the unregistered version useful and find they are using FIELD GENERAL and continue to use FIELD GENERAL after a reasonable trial period (60 days or less), they MUST make a registration payment to rbm software. The registration fee will license one copy for use on any one computer at any one time. They must treat this software just like a book. An example is this software may be used by any number of people and may be freely moved from one computer location to another, so long as there is no possibility of it being used at one location while it's being used at another. Just as a book cannot be read by two different persons at the same time. Copyright laws apply to both Shareware and commercial software. Shareware authors are accomplished programmers, just like commercial authors, and the programs are of comparable quality. (In both cases, there are good programs and bad ones!). The main difference is in the method of distribution. See the file "REGISTER.DOC" for the benefits of registering your FIELD GENERAL software. _________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION TO FIELD GENERAL _________________________________________________________________ FIELD GENERAL simulates the game of professional football as closely as possible by comprising nearly everything which can happen on a football field. By simulating much of the strategy existing in pro games, rbm software creates an atmosphere in FIELD GENERAL where the players can experience the pressure and the excitement of a pro football game from a coach's point of view. By playing FIELD GENERAL, you may even learn a few things about the professional game. As a player of FIELD GENERAL, your main concern is to determine and act upon your opponent's play calling tendencies. FIELD GENERAL puts you up close to professional football action by letting YOU call the plays! As you will see, you must not only battle against the wits of your opponent, but you must also race against the clock! Like other computer football games on the market, FIELD GENERAL is entertaining, but FIELD GENERAL is also challenging (especially when played by two people), somewhat sophisticated (requiring a relatively good understanding of the game of football), unpredictable (many possible results and outcomes), and realistic (a true football simulation where the results mirror those of actual pro football games). Another feature which separates FIELD GENERAL from some other computer football games is teams are EVEN going into the contest. Neither team has an advantage on offense or defense; the computer is completely unbiased. The only difference between two competing teams are their play callers - YOU! Winning might take a little luck, but winning mostly depends on a sound play calling strategy and game plan! _________________________________________________________________ NOTES ON FUTURE VERSIONS OF FIELD GENERAL _________________________________________________________________ With the help of many people, the first version of FIELD GENERAL has been greatly improved upon. rbm software is pleased with and excited about the changes which have been made to FIELD GENERAL! We thank everyone for their comments and suggestions! With your support, we were able to make FIELD GENERAL a better and more enjoyable computer football game, further proving the concept of Shareware as a workable, marketing idea! Please continue to tell us what your thinking so we can keep improving upon this game. The next version of FIELD GENERAL will be version 6.0. We're very excited about this next version because many of the changes and improvements to the game will be USER suggested! The planned changes are many, so depending on how much time can be spent on this project in the next couple of months, we hope to make version 6.0 available by the end of March. The following is a list of the NEW features which will be available in v6.0: * Users will be given a break-down of statistics by player positions! For example, you will be able to see Z's stats on receptions, reception yardage, and TD's made! Number of runs, rushing yardage, and TD's made will be kept for runners, and the QB's completion percentage will be broken down by short, medium, and long range passes! * Won-loss records will be kept for up to 100 teams! FIELD GENERAL will also keep track of each team's statistics on scoring (points for and points against) and total yardage (yards gained and yards allowed)! * New statistics are also planned for the distribution and success of offensive plays. These stats will show how many times and how successful each team ran and passed the ball to the right and to the left side of the field! Passes will be broken down into short, medium, and long range categories. * Version 6.0 will show statistics for all drives! Currently, only the statistics for SCORING drives are given, but v6.0 will GRAPHICALLY present the following information on every drive: number of plays in drive, yardage gained (lossed) in drive, and end result of drive (TD, fumble, punt, etc.). * User suggested, v6.0 will make the QB Kneel-Down play available! This play simply has the QB kneel down after taking the snap, resulting in no turnover and no stoppage of the game clock! The QB Kneel-Down will be perfect for running out the game clock near the end of a half! * Version 6.0 will feature a new defense! This new defense is user suggested and will be called the 4-0 2-Deep Zone defense. It will be similar to the Nickel Prevent, but with 7, instead of 5, defensive backs and using 4, instead of 3, pass rushers. * V6.0 will allow the defense to call time outs during the "Call offense:" prompt. Many users have requested this feature. _________________________________________________________________ PLAYING OPTIONS _________________________________________________________________ FIELD GENERAL is programmed with many built-in options so you may tailor the game to your individual liking. The following is a list of variations of play for FIELD GENERAL. AUTOMATION: You have the choice of automating one or both of the participating teams. By automating one of them, you have the capability to play against the computer - a worthy opponent. The computer uses "smart" random play options to call its plays semi- intelligently. And in case you were wondering, the computer NEVER bases its play selection on the play you have called - HONEST! WEATHER ELEMENTS: You may choose to play under "perfect playing conditions", where there is no precipitation or wind to affect play outcomes. If you wish to have the weather elements be a part of the game, you may set these elements in one of two ways. You can let the computer set the elements in a random manner, or you can set the conditions yourself. When the computer sets the weather conditions, the computer may generate perfect playing conditions or any other combination of weather elements. Weather conditions stay constant throughout the game. As the weather worsens, weather elements play a greater part in your play calling strategy. Precipitation: "Drizzle" is slightly disruptive, "rain" is moderately disruptive, and "snow" is very disruptive. As precipitation conditions worsen, it will be a bit harder to complete medium and long range passes. Precipitation affects medium range passes only slightly, and affects long range passes a bit more. Precipitation also affects the kicking game, but only slightly. Precipitation has its greatest effect on the outside running game. As precipitation worsens, it will be difficult to get good rushing yardage to the outside (sweeps, quick pitches). On a slippery field, it is difficult for running backs to cut up field quickly, allowing the defensive pursuit to catch up to them. Wind: "Good breeze" is slightly disruptive, "windy" is moderately disruptive, and "strong wind" is very disruptive. Wind direction will be either against or with the offense; there are never cross-winds. Wind only affects passes which are thrown against the wind. Wind does not affect short passes, but does affect medium and long range passes. As wind conditions worsen, completing medium range passes will become slightly more difficult and completing long range passes will become considerably more difficult. Wind has its greatest effect on the kicking game. If kicking against the wind, kicking distance will decrease, but if kicking with the wind, kicking distance will increase. Thus, wind direction becomes a very important strategic element as wind conditions worsen. Weather information is displayed to the left of the scoreboard. The symbols used for weather elements are: > good breeze + drizzle >> windy ++ rain >>> strong wind ++* snow REGULATION LENGTH GAME VS. SHORT GAME: The only major difference between regulation length games and short games is the length of quarters. Regulation length games have 15 minute quarters while short games have only 7 minute quarters. The only other difference is separate files are maintained for each type of game's all-time game records. NORMAL PLAYING CONDITIONS: This is where the real-time game clock and play clock are inactive. In this variation, players have as much time as they wish to call their plays. Each type of play and game activity is assigned a predetermined amount of time it will take off the game clock. These predetermined times do a good job of simulating actual pro football game conditions, but limit the players' ability to manipulate the game clock through their play calling. Under these conditions, expect the following: * The more yardage gained, the more time will be subtracted from the game clock. * Runs take more time than passes. * Plays take less time during the two minute warning period. * Plays take less time when they go out of bounds (see "Out of Bounds"). We recommend this variation for first time players until they become well accustomed to the game. THE REAL-TIME CLOCK: This option is only for the most experienced FIELD GENERAL players! This option provides players with a truly advanced version of the game. The real-time clock provides you with action under conditions closest to those of an actual professional football game! The game clock works like the clock in a pro game; the clock is stopped when a pass is incomplete, when there's a change in possession, etc.. The play clock is also activated when this option is chosen. Plays and game activities still subtract a small predetermined amount of time off the clock, but since it takes more time to call plays than actually run them and since players have control over how much time ticks off the clock while they decide on their plays, this way of working the clock much better simulates professional football action. The offense can quickly call a play if they're trying to score near the end of a half, or run the play clock to near 0 if its winning near the end of a game. The real-time game clock makes for some very interesting two minute drills! Only the most experienced and cool-headed FIELD GENERAL players can lead their offense in beating both the defense and the clock for a TD during the closing seconds of a half!. The game clock can be seen running while the offense is deciding on its next play, but the game clock does not run while the defense is deciding on its play because in an actual football game, the defense should be set and ready when the offense is set and ready. Of course, the game clock does not ALWAYS run while the offense is deciding upon its next play. In a similar fashion to pro football, the game clock will stop after these events: * Incomplete passes * Plays which go out of bounds during the final two minutes of the first half and the final five minutes of the second half and overtime quarters * Changes of possession * Scores * Penalties (exception: clock will run after all declined penalties which occur outside the final two minutes of the first half and the final five minutes of the second half and overtime quarters) * Time outs * Two minute warnings * Ends of quarters When the game clock is not running, the colons between the minutes and the seconds of the game clock are colored bright white. When the clock is running, the colons are colored bright red and a faint ticking noise can be heard. This is to help aid the players in quickly recognizing the status of the game clock. When the real-time clock is in use, the offense's play clock is automatically set to 25 seconds. Normally, the offense would receive 35 seconds to call their play, but under real-time clock conditions, 10 seconds is subtracted to account for the time the offense needs to break their huddle, line up, and snap the ball. However, during the last two minutes of each half, less time will be attributed to snapping the ball. Instead of setting the play clock to 25 seconds, the offense will have 30 seconds to call its play (we think less time should be subtracted for snapping the ball within the two minute warning period because offenses are usually in a hurry-up type situation during this time). THE PLAY CLOCK: The play clock restricts the amount of time the offense and defense may take to call its play. The play clock will somewhat guard against slow play as well as introduce a more interesting play calling strategy. If the offense or defense cannot get their play called before their play clock expires, then they are assessed a 5 yard DELAY OF GAME penalty. There are 2 play clocks - one in the back of each end zone. Once the offense has entered a VALID play, the play clocks are reset for the defense. The play clock is automatically activated when the real-time clock option is chosen, but when the real-time clock is not activated, players may choose the number of seconds (10-45) to be placed on the offense's play clock. The defense always has 6 seconds placed on its play clock. The play clock can be stopped with a time out. When a team calls a time out, the play clocks are removed from the screen and the offense may take as long as it wishes in entering its next play. When automated teams play, expect the following: * Automated teams will call their plays before the play clock expires. * When on defense, automated teams will call their plays quickly (within 1 second) to speed up play. * When on offense, automated teams will call their plays at any time during the play clock's time limit. We recommend a hard copy of the list of plays when the play clock is activated. This will eliminate the time needed to access help screens for a list of plays. USING THE REAL-TIME CLOCK ONLY DURING THE FINAL MINUTES OF A HALF: When using this option, the real-time clock is deactivated except for the final 2 minutes of the 1st half and for the final 5 minutes of the 2nd half and overtime quarters. NOTE: If you choose the PLAY CLOCK option, set the play clock for 15 seconds, and THEN choose to have the real-time clock run during the last minutes of each half, a 15 second play clock will be used throughout the game EXCEPT when the real-time clock is in use. AMERICAN VS. INTERNATIONAL RULES: FIELD GENERAL plays under American professional football rules unless the international rules option is chosen. Under international rules: * The instant replay feature is deactivated. * Kickoffs fielded in the end zone must be returned. * The two-point conversion option is automatically activated. * Overtime winner is first to score at least 6 points or lead at end of the overtime period. THE TWO-POINT CONVERSION: If you do not elect to play under international rules, you may still activate the two-point conversion option. When this option is chosen, each team has the option, after each TD it scores, to either attempt an extra point kick for 1 point or to attempt a 2-point conversion from 3 yards out. The offense may run its 2-point conversion attempt from the middle of the field or from either hash mark. The 2-point conversion is similar to other offensive downs except the offense is allowed only 1 down to reach the end zone. _________________________________________________________________ GAME FEATURES - MISCELLANEOUS _________________________________________________________________ The game is very easy to play, prompting you for any information it needs. However, there are a few features needing further explanation. VISITOR'S JERSEY COLORS: The home team's jersey is always bright white, while the visiting team gets to choose its team color from a list the computer provides. This list does change depending on the weather conditions. For example: When raining, the field is colored brown, thus the color brown is kept off the list to insure the visiting team's ball marker is visible against the background of the field. THE BALL MARKER: The ">" character acts as ball marker when the home team has the ball and the "<" character is used when the visiting team has the ball. The ball marker moves across the screen in increments of 2 yards to show the yardage gained or lost on a play. HASHMARKS: On each play, the ball is snapped from either the left or right hashmark, or from the middle of the field. This is one important strategic aspect of FIELD GENERAL because the offense may be in a position where it has more room to run a play to one side of the field. Since it is better to run plays to the widest side of the field (because the defense has more field to cover), the offense may elect to go to the wide side most of the time. However, the defense also knows this and will probably call its defenses to guard against plays to the wide side. Thus, the offense may, in turn, try to fool the defense by running a play to the short side of the field. The decision is yours to make! OUT OF BOUNDS: A play goes out of bounds if the play starts AND ends at the right OR left hashmark. Use the out of bounds to your advantage when trying to score late in the half when time is a factor. "Out of bounds" is another good reason to keep track of which hashmark your on! REMINDER: Plays which go out of bounds take less time and stop the real-time game clock (if activated). TOUCHDOWNS: A touchdown occurs any time enough yardage is gained to cross your opponent's goal. The ball marker will keep moving across the goal until it has moved a distance equal to the yardage gained. The offense is only credited with yardage up to the goal, but viewing the ball marker will show you how far the play could have gone. FUMBLES: Fumbles may be recovered by either team. However, the defense recovers the great majority of them. If you run the game without sound, be sure to keep an eye on the screen so you won't miss a fumble message. PENALTIES: Penalties can occur at almost any time. When they do, the computer will usually give you a choice of either taking the penalty or taking the down (obviously, if the penalty is against the offense, the defense makes the choice, and vice versa). Your choice is made my entering a "P" for penalty or a "D" for down. If there is a question of who the offense is at the time of the penalty, look at the scoreboard. The team which has the brown "<>" characters to the left of its name is the offense. When a penalty occurs during a field goal attempt, the field goal kick is given in yardage from the line of scrimmage to the goal post. For instance, if the computer displays "FG attempt is 30 yards long", then the field goal kick would be good if the line of scrimmage is at the 20 yardline or closer to the goal post. KICKOFFS: There are 3 types of kickoffs to choose from. The two we are sure you have heard about are onside kickoffs and deep kickoffs (regular kickoffs). The third type of kickoff is called a squib kickoff. This is where the kicker kicks the ball down field along the ground - not in the air. This kick will not travel as far as a deep kick, but it will cut down on yardage gained on the kick return. This kick is used is to keep the ball away from the returning team's best return man, the player positioned deepest on the return team. In this manner, the kicking team can guard against a big return near the end of a half. The squib kick is also a good alternative to the deep kick when the kicker must kick into a strong wind. When a team chooses to kick deep, they must choose where to aim the kickoff (left, middle, or right side of the field). In turn, the receiving team must choose what type of return to run (wedge left, middle wedge, or wedge right). The combination of these 2 choices will determine the success of the return. For instance, if the kickoff is directed to same side of the field the return is called, the return will be longer than usual. If the kickoff is aimed to the opposite side of the field to where the return is called, the return will be shorter than usual. Kickoff "Hands" Team: When receiving a kickoff, the receiving team has the choice of putting in their regular receiving team or their "hands" team. The "hands" team is used in situations where the receiving team is expecting an onside kick. Choosing the "hands" team will cut down on the return yardage, but will improve the odds of recovering an onside kick. FIELD GOALS: Field goal attempts may come up short of the end zone. In this case, the defense has the option to return the kick. If the defense decides not to return the kick, the defense gets the ball at the place of the kick, or at their 20 yardline if the kick was attempted from inside their 20. Field Goal Defense: There are 2 types of field goal defenses. A defense can go for the block or they can guard against a fake. When going for the block, they are more susceptible to a fake. When defending against a fake, they have less chance for a block. Defending against a fake will ALMOST ALWAYS stop a fake. Fake Field Goals: Field goals may be faked, but the chances of converting a fake field goal for a first down or touchdown are slim. Chances for success are best when the defense chooses to try to block the field goal rather than guard against a fake and when only a couple of yards are needed. PUNTS: When the offense has elected to punt (but not angle punt), the defense has the option to try to block the punt, maximize a punt return, or check for a fake punt and then set up a punt return. A punt can be blocked even if the defense decides to set up a return, but a defense can improve its chances of blocking a punt by almost 3 times if it decides to go for the block. The odds of blocking a punt are even better if the punting team is within their own 5 yardline (the punter has less room). However, if the defense goes for the block, punt return yardage is decreased significantly and the defense is vulnerable to faked punts. The reason why angle punts are difficult to block is because during these types of punts, the punting team is not as concerned with punt coverage as it is on regular punts. Therefore, the punter gets better blocking. When a defense decides to maximize a punt return, it makes itself very vulnerable to faked punts and it will not have a good chance at blocking the punt, but it will get maximum punt return yardage. By checking for a fake punt before setting up a return, the defense will greatly improve its chances of NOT getting burned on a fake, and it will still insure good return yardage. Angle Punts: An angle punt is when the punter tries to kick the ball out of bounds near his opponents goal line. In this game, the punt may indeed go out of bounds, but it may also go into the end zone for a touchback or stay in bounds and be fielded by the punt return team. A team may choose to angle punt only when it is at or inside its opponent's 40 yardline. Fake Punts: The odds for a successful fake punt are better than the odds for a successful fake field goal. Naturally, the best chance an offense has at pulling off a fake punt is when the return team is setting up to maximize a punt return or setting up to block the punt. THE NO-HUDDLE OFFENSE: The no-huddle offense can only be run when the play clock is active. The no-huddle offense is simulated when the offense calls its plays quickly, giving the defense little time to think about its next play. Besides the possibility of the defense calling a bad play or being accessed a delay of game penalty, there is an added bonus to running the no-huddle offense. If the offense calls its play before 3 seconds tick off the play clock, the offense will prohibit the defense from making player substitutions. Thus, the defense will not be able to go into its nickel defenses (in the nickel defense, a LB or lineman is substituted for another defensive back). When this happens, the prompt "NO SUBSTITUTIONS!" will appear with the prompt "Call defense:" to warn the defense of this restriction. However, the offense cannot always keep the defense out of its nickel defenses. The exceptions are: * The 1st play of a drive. The defense was not on the field during the previous play. * When the defense was in a nickel defense the play before. No substitutions are needed. * The first play following a time out or the two minute warning. * The first play of a quarter. * The first play after a penalty. WEARING DOWN THE DEFENSE: An offense can wear down the defense by running the ball and keeping possession of the ball for great lengths of time. By keeping the defense on the field, the offense will tire the defensive team. A small bonus is given to the offense which accomplishes this. An extra yard will be added to the result of a running play if the offense has run the ball at least 27 times (13 times for short games) and has had possession of the ball at least 27 minutes (13 minutes for short games) by the time the running play has been called. An extra 2 yards will be added if the offense has run the ball at least 32 times (16 times for short games) and has had the ball at least 32 minutes (16 minutes for short games). For example: When the home team has earned the bonus of an extra yard per running play, the computer will prompt the user with the message, "Home team has reached bonus level 1!" and a yellow "*" will appear below the team's name and score on the scoreboard. When the home team has earned the bonus of an extra 2 yards per running attempt, the computer will prompt the user with the message, "Home team has reached bonus level 2!" and a yellow "**" will appear below the home team's name. Again, this bonus isn't much, but it could make a big difference late in the game when the offense is in short yardage situations or is trying to run out the clock. TIME OUTS: Time outs are used to keep the clock from running during the proceeding play. For instance, if on offense, enter "89" at the prompt "Call offense:" to call a time out, then enter the desired play. By doing so, the clock will not run during the called play. When the real-time clock is in use, time outs will not only keep the clock from running DURING the proceeding play, but they will also stop the game clock AFTER the proceeding play. Thus, the game clock will not start until the play after the proceeding play is called. Time outs cannot be called to keep the clock from running during extra points, field goal attempts, kickoffs, and punts. If the offense has called a time out and the defense is called for a delay of game penalty, the offense is not charged for a time out. This rule prevents the defense from sacrificing a 5 yard penalty for causing the offense to waste one of its time outs. GROUNDING THE BALL: Grounding the ball, offensive play #88, may be used when the offense needs to stop the game clock within the two minute warning period, but has no time outs left. The play simply has the QB intentionally ground the ball after taking the snap. The offense loses a down, but the game clock is stopped. OVERTIME: If a game being played under American football rules ends in a tie, the game will go into sudden-death-overtime, and will not end until there is another score. ALL-TIME GAME RECORDS: FIELD GENERAL creates the files "TOPSTATS.TXT" and "TOPSHORT.TXT" so you can view the all-time FIELD GENERAL records made using your copy of FIELD GENERAL. These files are dependent on the information in the files "TOPSTATS.DAT" and "TOPSHORT.DAT". By erasing these data files, you may renew the record keeping process, since FIELD GENERAL will have no way to recall previously set records. When viewing the all-time records, you may see the characters "**" appearing before a record description. These characters indicate the given record was set during the most previously played FIELD GENERAL game. FIELD GENERAL only keeps track of the best or worst performance in each category. To break a record, a team must SURPASS or EQUAL the given record. In this manner, the name of the most recent team to break or equal a record is recorded. Also, if opposing teams break the same record in identical fashion (for instance, if the record for "MOST FIRST DOWNS" is 25, and both teams earned 27 first downs in their game against one another), the VISITING team will be honored with the record. Yes, this isn't fair, but this must be done since FIELD GENERAL matches only one team to every record. UTILITIES: The help screen with the list of available utilities can be accessed by entering "97" at the "Call offense:" or "Call defense:" prompt. The utilities available to you are: Accessing TTS Reports: By entering 71, the TTS report for the home team will be shown on screen. Enter 72 to access the visitor's TTS report. (See "Tendency Tracking System (TTS)".) Game Exit Function: To exit FIELD GENERAL before normal program termination, select "74" at the "Call offense:" or "Call defense:" prompt. There is NO game saving feature. Accessing Game Statistics: The game statistics consist of 4 screens. All screens can be accessed by entering "76" at the play prompts. Activating/Deactivating Sound: Sound can be activated/deactivated by entering "77" at the play prompts. Activating/Deactivating the Chalkboard Screen: The chalkboard screen is activated/deactivated by entering "79" at the play prompts. This screen diagrams the offensive and defensive plays called. Adjusting Game Speed: At the pre-game screen, you will be asked if you wish to change the game speed. Game speed defaults to a factor of 4. To slow the game down, pick a value greater than 4. To speed the game up, pick a value between 1 and 3. You may also adjust the game speed during the game by entering "80" at the play prompts. The halftime show and the time taken to retrieve data off the disk ARE NOT effected by this change in speed. The speed factor DOES control the speed for all other sounds, graphic drawings, and ball movement. Activating/Deactivating Encryption: When encryption is deactivated, FIELD GENERAL echoes all offensive calls to the screen. When encryption is activated, offensive calls are hidden during entry. At the "Call offense:" prompt, "*"'s will appear in place of the numbers being entered. i.e. The offensive call "22" will appear as "**" when being entered. In this manner, the integrity of the offensive call will be better protected from the defensive player. Encryption is activated/deactivated by entering "81" at the play prompts. _________________________________________________________________ STATISTICS _________________________________________________________________ Most of the statistics are self-explanatory. The ones which need some explaining are listed below: Return Yardage: The yardage gained on punt returns plus the yardage interceptions were returned past the line of scrimmage. NOTE: This isn't the technical definition of "return yardage". Third Down Efficiency: The first number is the number of 3rd downs converted for 1st downs, and the second number is the total number of 3rd downs the offense faced. Average Field Position: The average distance, in yards to your opposition's goal line, from which your team started each of its drives. Punts - Average: This category does not include angle punts or blocked punts. Average First Down Yardage: This is the average amount of yardage gained on first down plays. The higher this average yardage is, the better. Average Yards to Go on 3rd Down: This is the average amount of yardage a team had to make on third down plays to achieve a first down or touchdown. The lower this average yardage is, the better. _________________________________________________________________ TENDENCY TRACKING SYSTEM (TTS) _________________________________________________________________ At halftime, during professional football games, the head coach gets VALUABLE information, from his assistants, on his opponent's play calling tendencies. This information is vital in formulating the team's second half strategy. The halftime report made by the coaching assistants could be the difference between winning and losing! In a similar manner, FIELD GENERAL provides you with this information at halftime. Acting as your team of assistant coaches, FIELD GENERAL tracks your opponent's, as well as your own, play calling tendencies. If you wish, you may, at halftime, get a TTS printout of your opponent and your team to help you in devising your second half strategy. TTS reports are also available during the game (see "Utilities"). Also, at the end of the game, you may view the files "HOME_TTS.TXT" and "OPP_TTS.TXT" to see the TTS reports which cover the entire game. This information can be stored and used as a reference for future games with the same opponent. The TTS reports include both offensive and defensive play calling tendencies, totals of how many times each specific play was called, the success of each specific play, and statistics on what type of plays were called in different situations. STRATEGY: How do you devise a game-winning strategy? It's not easy, especially when playing an opponent for the first time, because all teams are different. However, each team does have tendencies. It's just a matter of determining and acting upon them. The following suggestions will start you on the right track. One of the most important things you can do during game play is to keep close track of where you are on the field relative to the hashmarks. Sometimes you'll want to call a play to stop the clock by going out of bounds or just to position yourself to run the play you really want. The other important thing you must do to improve your chances of winning is to keep track of your opponent's as well as your OWN play calling tendencies! By knowing your opponent's habits, you can make smarter play selections. By knowing your OWN habits, you can set-up and cross-up your opponent by varying from your tendencies. Know what your defenses are good for and what type of offenses can give them trouble. Is the offense you're facing the conservative, ball-control type or are they gamblers looking for the quick strike? Does your opponent's offense play the percentages or do they try to be clever by running to the short side of the field or by calling draws on 3rd and long? On the other side of the ball, know what offenses are good for attacking each defensive play. Does the defense you're facing play very safe and conservative by playing the percentages, like playing the run on 1st downs, or are they always gambling with blitzes and tight defenses? What kinds of plays does your opposing defense call when they're backed up inside their own 20 yardline and do they consistently come at you hard on 1st downs? By answering these questions and raising some of your own, you will be well are your way to becoming a top-notch FIELD GENERAL! _________________________________________________________________ THE PLAYS _________________________________________________________________ A list of all plays can be found in the file "PLAYS.TXT". Some plays have restrictions on their use. For example, deep pass routes cannot be used within your opponent's 20 yardline. These restrictions are cited on the help screens and in the "PLAYS.TXT" file. TERMINOLOGY: The offensive plays use numbers and letters to signify certain positions. X is the receiver lined-up to the left, Y is the tight- end, etc.. Numbers can signify where the play is aimed at in the line of scrimmage (holes), which back will be carrying the ball (2 is the HB, 3 is the FB), or in the case of pass plays, what the running backs are assigned to do. Pass plays are either in the 50's or the 80's. Running backs stay in the backfield to help pass protect when the pass play is called in the 50's, while the backs are outlet or secondary receivers when the pass play is called in the 80's. WEAK SIDE STRONG SIDE HOLES -> 9 7 5 3 1-0 2 4 6 8 ----------------------------------------------- X T G C G T Y Q Z A B ----------------------------------------------- BACK POSITIONS -> 2 3 4 2 Examples: "20 Fold" - halfback from the 2 position takes and runs the ball into the 0 hole. "83 X Curl" - "83" tells the running back on the weak side to run an outlet pass route. "X Curl" tells X he is the primary receiver and is running a curl pattern. All other routes are implicit. When an offensive play is diagrammed on the screen, "O"'s are used for all the players on the offense except for the center which is represented by a "C". The letters representing the home team are always colored bright white. The defensive play calls convey information on formation, line action, and pass coverage. i.e. In the "4-3 Over Key Strong Zone" defense, the formation is a 4-3 (4 linemen, 3 LB's), the linemen OVERshift and KEY the offensive linemen, and the DB's use a STRONG ZONE pass coverage. When a defensive play is diagrammed on the screen, "X"'s are used to represent the players except for the down linemen which are represented by "V"'s. (See "LEXICON" for more definitions.) CHOOSING AND ENTERING A PLAY: There are two ways to get a list of available plays. You can get a hard copy by printing the file "PLAYS.TXT" before you start, or you may pull up a help screen during play. To get a help screen while on defense, enter "99" at the prompt "Call defense". To get a help screen while on offense, enter "98" or "99" at the prompt "Call offense". Once you have chosen a play, enter the number corresponding to that play when the computer prompts you. The offense is always asked to choose its play first. While the offense is entering the number corresponding to its chosen play, the defensive player should turn his head so as not to see what offense is being called. The computer will produce a unique sound to signal when a valid offensive play has been chosen. At this time, the computer will erase the number corresponding to the chosen offensive play from the screen and the defensive player may turn around and enter his selection. This procedure should be followed on kickoffs and two-point conversions as well. NOTE: If an offensive play's corresponding entry number is a single digit (1-9), it is best to enter the number with a leading 0 (01, 02, etc.) so not to give the defense any hint at the play being called. USER INPUT: When the computer asks for 1 character responses (like "Y/N"), users do not have to press the <RETURN> key before the computer accepts the response. When the computer may be expecting a 2 character response (like two digit numbers), the <RETURN> key must be pressed before the computer accepts the response. PLAY RESULTS: Results are based on the chances of a particular offense succeeding against a particular defense. Each offense-defense combination has many possible results. In total, FIELD GENERAL has over 37,000 possible play results! The success of a play is somewhat dependent on what side of the field the play is aimed. Obviously, running a play to the wide side of the field could mean more success, but since the defense also knows this, it may be a better idea to run to the short side of the field. Play results are based on percentages. If the perfect offense is run against a defense, the percentages will be in favor of the play doing well. However, every play has a chance, if ever so slim, to fail. Conversely, an offensive play which seems to be doomed, could, surprisingly, get good yardage. _________________________________________________________________ A FINAL NOTE _________________________________________________________________ We must warn you about strange things occurring during game play! Because beer is sold at the stadium FIELD GENERAL is played at, there is the possibility of fans over-indulging themselves and becoming boisterous. Strong winds, thunderstorms, and the instant replay official may even interrupt play momentarily, so be on the lookout! COMPUTER FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS: The list of FIELD GENERAL players is steadily growing. There has been increasing interest in rbm software sanctioned FIELD GENERAL computer football tournaments to recognize the BEST FIELD GENERALS. rbm software is now preparing a list of requirements for those who wish to hold an rbm software sanctioned tournament of their own. Some of the requirements will be as follows: * Tournaments must consist of at least 7 different teams (participants). * All participants must be registered users of rbm software's FIELD GENERAL software. We haven't decided yet, but the winner of these tournaments will probably receive a certificate recognizing such winner as achieving the status of FIELD GENERAL, ONE STAR FIELD GENERAL, or whatever title is appropriate. If you know 6 registered users or 6 people who might like to be registered users, contact us for complete details about holding your own tournament. If you don't know 6 registered users, but wish to participate in such a tournament, contact us and we'll let you know when there are any other interested users in your area. PRODUCT SUPPORT POLICY: Registered users will receive infinite product support by MAIL. Please feel free to contact us at any time. Send any comments and questions you have on the game -- features you like/dislike, suggested improvements, bugs you may have found, etc.. Through users' comments, FIELD GENERAL is "UNEQUALLED in Pro Football Simulation"! We'll let registered users know of any improvements to the game. We know FIELD GENERAL will give you many hours of entertainment whether you're matching football wits with a friend or against the computer. Have fun and thank you for your support of FIELD GENERAL! rbm software _________________________________________________________________ A P P E N D I X A PACKING LIST _________________________________________________________________ TEXT FILES: Asp.doc - the Association of Shareware Professional's Ombudsman Policy. Example?.txt - these 3 files are provided as examples of what FIELD GENERAL produces for each game played. Register.doc - FIELD GENERAL's Registration and User Response Forms. Shr_ware.doc - detailed information on Shareware and the Association of Shareware Professionals (ASP). Virus.doc - an interesting article on Computer Virus Myths. Plays.txt - the list of defensive and offensive plays you may choose from while playing this version of FIELD GENERAL. A hard copy of this file serves as a good quick reference during game play. FILES NEEDED TO RUN FIELD GENERAL: Cursor.com - changes the system cursor. The cursor will remain changed even after a game of FIELD GENERAL has ended, but will go back to normal once the system has been reset. List.com - a simple text editor used for viewing FIELD GENERAL text files. This program is called by "GENERAL.EXE" and "PRT_UTIL.EXE". Scr_melt.com - this utility clears the computer screen by making the characters look like they're melting away! On some IBM compatibles, this program has caused the system to hang. If this happens to you, simply reboot the system and remove this file from the directory you're running FIELD GENERAL from. The system will output the "BAD COMMAND" error message when FIELD GENERAL tries to run "SCR_MELT.COM", but other than that, the game will function perfectly well. Texas.com - the halftime show music. This file can be replaced with another "COM" file so you may run a halftime show of your choice. General?.dat - the data files used to determine play results. There should be 6 of these files. Football.exe - this program puts up an opening screen while the main program is being loaded into memory and also calls "CURSOR.COM" to change the system cursor. FIELD GENERAL may be started via this program or via "GENERAL.EXE". The only difference between the two is the opening screen and cursor change. General.exe - rbm software's FIELD GENERAL version 5.1. Halfshow.exe - the halftime show. This file can also be replaced with a halftime show of your choice. Prt_util.exe - FIELD GENERAL view & print utility. Use this program to view or print any FIELD GENERAL text file. This utility must be present in the same directory as the file to be printed. OTHER EXECUTABLE FILES: Archived.exe - this file contains all the FIELD GENERAL files in archived form. Run this file to UNarchive, unpack, these files. This file may be deleted once all FIELD GENERAL files have been properly UNarchived. FILES TO BE CREATED - GAME RECORDS: The following files are NOT present on the FIELD GENERAL distribution disk. These files will be created by FIELD GENERAL during game play. View these files at the end of a game to see the many statistics and records FIELD GENERAL keeps for you! Topshort.dat - the data file containing game records for short games. This file is used to generate the file "TOPSHORT.TXT" and is created by the file "GENERAL.EXE". Topstats.dat - the data file containing game records for regulation length games. This file is used to generate the file "TOPSTATS.TXT" and is created by the file "GENERAL.EXE". Game_log.txt - this file is updated throughout the game to give you a log of game highlights and statistics. View this file at the completion of a game. This file is created by the file "GENERAL.EXE". Home_tts.txt - this file is created at the end of each game to give you a report on the home team's play calling tendencies during the most previously played game. This file is created by "GENERAL.EXE". Opp_tts.txt - this file is exactly like "HOME_TTS.TXT" except it gives you a report on the visiting team's play calling tendencies. Topstats.txt - this file is updated at the end of every game to give you a listing of all-time game records for regulation length games. View this file at the completion of a regulation length game to see if your team has set any records! This file is created by the file "GENERAL.EXE". Topshort.txt - this file is like the file "TOPSTATS.TXT" except it lists the all-time game records for short games. !!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!! All data files (files with the extension ".DAT") are VERY IMPORTANT to the proper operation of this program. Changing these files will result in improper results and may even cause the program to crash. Make backups of all files! !!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!! ________________________________________________________________ A P P E N D I X B WEATHER ELEMENTS _________________________________________________________________ This appendix shows exactly how much precipitation and wind affect play outcomes. The percentages given below are interpreted as follows: For RUNS and KICKS, the percentage is a comparison between the amount of yardage which would have been gained under perfect playing conditions and the yardage which would have been gained under the specified weather condition. For instance, a kick which would travel 50 yards under perfect playing conditions would only travel 47 (50 * .94) yards in the rain. For PASSES, the percentage stands for the percentage of passes which would have been completed under perfect playing conditions, but would fall incomplete under the specified weather condition. For instance, for every LONG pass which would be completed under perfect conditions, there would be a 30% chance it would fall incomplete under windy conditions. Weather elements have a quantitative effect. For instance, snow would offset the distance gained by kicking with a good breeze behind you. WEATHER CONDITIONS > good breeze + drizzle >> windy ++ rain >>> strong wind ++* snow EFFECTS KICKING CONDITION PASSING RUNNING AGAINST WITH MED. RANGE LONG RANGE OUTSIDE 97% 97% + 2% 4% 85% 94% 94% ++ 4% 8% 70% 91% 91% ++* 6% 12% 55% 92% 108% > 5% 15% - 84% 116% >> 10% 30% - 76% 124% >>> 15% 45% - _________________________________________________________________ A P P E N D I X C THE GAME CLOCK _________________________________________________________________ WITHOUT REAL-TIME CLOCK OPTION: The following table shows how much time will be subtracted from the game clock for various plays when the real-time clock is deactivated. The "TWO MINUTE WARNING TIME" table shows how much time will be taken off the game clock during the last two minutes of the second, fourth, and overtime quarters. NORMAL TIME runs for < 1 yard 32 seconds runs for 1-20 yards 40 seconds runs for > 20 yards 48 seconds incomplete passes 12 seconds passes for < 21 yards 22 seconds passes for > 20 yards 32 seconds delay of game penalty 12 seconds TWO MINUTE WARNING TIME runs out of bounds 18 seconds runs for < 1 yard 28 seconds runs for 1-20 yards 34 seconds runs for > 20 yards 40 seconds incomplete passes 10 seconds passes out of bounds 10 seconds passes < 21 yards 20 seconds passes > 20 yards 28 seconds delay of game penalty 10 seconds WITH OR WITHOUT REAL-TIME CLOCK OPTION: The next table shows how much time special team plays take whether the real-time clock is activated or deactivated. Extra points & two point conversions (dead ball) 0 seconds Field goals 4 seconds Blocked field goals/punts 7 seconds Punts 9 seconds Punt returns 6 seconds Kickoffs 13 seconds Kickoffs out of bounds or not returned 5 seconds * Kickoffs (within 2 minute warning) 8 seconds * Kickoffs out of bounds or not returned (within 2 minute warning) 0 seconds * During the last 2 minutes of each half, the game clock does not start on a kickoff until the ball is touched after the kick. WITH REAL-TIME CLOCK OPTION: When the real-time clock option is activated, you can expect the following plays and activities to take the following amount of time off the game clock: runs for < 1 yard 5 seconds runs for 1-9 yards 6 seconds runs for 10-19 yards 8 seconds runs for 20-39 yards 10 seconds runs for 40-59 yards 12 seconds runs for 60-79 yards 14 seconds runs for > 79 yards 16 seconds incomplete passes 5 seconds passes for < 0 yards 5 seconds passes for 1-9 yards 6 seconds passes for 10-19 yards 8 seconds passes for 20-39 yards 10 seconds passes for 40-59 yards 12 seconds passes for 60-79 yards 14 seconds passes for > 79 yards 16 seconds At the end of a play, the time taken to unpile and start the play clock during: * Normal time is 7 seconds * Two minute warning time is 5 seconds This amount of time is subtracted at the end of a play if the game clock is still running. The time taken to break the huddle, line up at the line of scrimmage, call signals, and snap the ball during: * Normal time is 10 seconds * Two minute warning time is 5 seconds This amount of time is subtracted after plays are called and before the plays are run if the game clock is running. Thus, the time you are given to call your offensive play before the play clock expires during: * Normal time is 25 seconds * Two minute warning time is 30 seconds NOTE: Time can only be subtracted from the game clock if the game clock is running while the play or activity is being run. For instance, if the game clock is stopped because of an incomplete pass, the time subtracted for breaking the huddle, lining up at the line of scrimmage, and calling signals is NOT taken off the game clock. _________________________________________________________________ A P P E N D I X D FIELD GOALS _________________________________________________________________ The following table shows the percentages of making field goals from certain distances (up to 19 yards = line of scrimmage is at the 9 yardline or closer to your opponent's goal). DISTANCE CHANCES OF MAKING (FROM LINE OF SCRIMMAGE) FIELD GOAL From right hash up to 19 yards 91.9% 20-23 yards 89.2% 24-28 yards 78.4% 29-31 yards 67.6% 32-37 yards 54.1% 38 yards 48.7% 39-44 yards 35.2% 45-50 yards 19.0% 51-55 yards 7.9% From middle up to 18 yards 91.9% 19-26 yards 89.2% 27-30 yards 78.4% 31-35 yards 67.6% 36-41 yards 54.1% 42 yards 48.7% 43-47 yards 35.2% 48-53 yards 19.0% 54-58 yards 7.9% From left hash up to 20 yards 91.9% 21-24 yards 89.2% 25-27 yards 78.4% 28-33 yards 67.6% 34-39 yards 54.1% 40 yards 48.7% 41-42 yards 35.2% 43-46 yards 27.1% 47-51 yards 19.0% 52-56 yards 7.9% If you consider your kicker is actually kicking from 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage, your kicker has enough leg to kick a 65 yard field goal from the middle of the field. If with the wind, your kicker could kick farther still. For instance, if your kicker kicks the ball with enough force to carry it 65 yards under normal conditions, and a strong wind is behind him, he would kick the ball an amazing 80 (65 * 1.24) yards! _________________________________________________________________ A P P E N D I X E THE PLAYBOOK _________________________________________________________________ This appendix lists the offensive and defensive plays' weaknesses and strengths. By playing the game, you will get a better feel for which plays work against which offenses or defenses most of the time. DEFENSES: 1) 4-3 Key Man-To-Man: Basic defense, with more attention given to stopping the run than the pass. Linemen key to defend against run. Man-to-man coverage and a lack of a pass rush makes it difficult to defend against long bombs. X X X X X X V V V V X 2) "46" Weak Side Blitz: Works best on weak side runs and short pass routes. The blitzing weak side LB could give the QB trouble, but down field coverage, especially up the middle, is weak. This defense uses bump and run, man-to-man coverage and is susceptible against runs going wide to the strong side. X X X X X X X V V V X 3) 4-3 Blast Man-To-Man: Basic defense, but with more attention given to stopping the pass than the run. Linemen go for QB immediately and react to the run if needed. Man-to-man coverage, with secondary and LB's looking for the pass first. Runs, especially up the middle, and quick passes could cause trouble for this defense. The free safety provides good weak side coverage by helping the CB with X or helping the LB's with Y or the halfback. X X X X X X V V V V X 4) 4-3 Over Key Strong Zone: This defense is geared to stop strong side runs, the Z receiver, and long bombs. Linemen look for runs first (key), so this defense will not provide as good a pass rush as defense #5. X X X X X X V V V V X 5) 4-2 Nickel Twist Strong Zone: Much like defense #4 except the linemen go right for the QB by using a crisscrossing action, reacting to runs if need be. Consequentially, this defense will not work as well against strong side runs as defense #4. X X X X X X V V V V X 6) 3-4 Plug Weak Zone: This defense is geared to stop weak side runs and passes, especially long bombs and passes to the X receiver. The blitzing LB ("plug") could drill the QB on play action passes to the weak side. X X X X X X X V V V X 7) 4-3 Under Key Double Zone: This defense is very good against runs to the weak side and runs outside the tackles. Secondary provides double coverage on X and Z receivers while LB's are responsible for any other receivers. Big, obvious weakness is passes up the middle. X X X X X X V V V V X 8) 4-2 Key Safety X Combo: Runs and short passes, especially to the weak side, is what this defense is geared to stop. Double coverage is provided for the X receiver, but only man-to-man coverage on the strong side. The strong side is susceptible to the long bomb. This tight defense is useful when defending deep in your end of the field. X X X X X X V V V V X 9) 3-4 Key Mombo: This is another tight defense which works well in the red zone. Runs and short passes, especially to the strong side, find the going tough against this defense. Double coverage on the Z receiver if Y takes an inside route, but little help on the weak side and in the deep zones. Watch out for the long bomb! X X X X X X X V V V X 10) 4-3 Outside LB Blitz: This defense gives you a 6 man pass rush. Outside LB's blitz to kill runs and passes before they start. Man-to-man coverage, so you better hope the LB's trap or hurry the QB on passes. If a run breaks through, it'll get good yardage. Quick passes, like screens, could embarrass this defense. X X X X X X V V V V X 11) 4-3 Max Blitz: This defense will stop almost all runs most of the time, especially runs designed to pick up 1 or 2 yards. This defense is also good when the QB drops back deep to pass (as on bombs) because the QB is pressured by an 8 man pass rush. Man- to-man coverage with the LB's responsible for the running backs. X X X X X X V V V V X 12) 3-4 Nickel Prevent: This defense is designed to protect against the long pass. This defense works well when the offense needs a lot of yardage quickly. The deepest DB's make sure all passes are thrown in front of them. X X X X X X X X V V V 13) Short Yardage: This defense is good when the offense is going for only 1 or 2 yards. This defense stops short runs and is better at defending against the quick passes than the maximum blitz because it leaves 5 players watching for the pass in the secondary rather than just 3 players. X X X X V V V V V V X 14) "53" Strong Zone: This defense is used to stop runs to the strong side and short passes. This defense resembles a 3-4 with the outside linebackers positioned at the line of scrimmage. Strong side linebacker covers tight end as a down lineman while strong safety fills strong side LB's position to cover strong side flat or to force runs on the strong side. X X X X X X X V V V V 15) 4-3 Weak Zone: This defense is designed to stop the I formation. Very good against runs and passes to the weak side. X X X X X X X V V V V 16) Flex Strong Man-To-Man: This defense is geared to stop runs, especially those to the strong side, by corrupting offensive blocking. The "right" people are in the "wrong" places to be blocked. By positioning the left end and right tackle a yard off the line of scrimmage, offensive linemen have trouble getting to them. The picket effect covers all the running holes. This defense can cover short passes fairly well, but longer passes are trouble because of the lack of a pass rush out of this formation and because of the man-to-man coverage. X X X X X V X V V V X 17) Flex Weak Man-To-Man: This defense is like Flex Strong except it is especially effective against weak side runs. Here, the left tackle and the right end are 1 yard off the line of scrimmage. X X X X V X V X V V X OFFENSES: Most offensive plays can be run from a variation of sets and with various players in motion, but for simplification, only 1 set for each play is shown. 1) 24 Iso: The basic, hard hitting, muscle play from the I formation. No tricky blocking here. Linemen and FB try to get a big push up front. Lead running back, FB, is ISOlated on LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 2) 28 Toss Sweep: Quick hitting sweep to the strong side. Could work well against the "keying" defenses. Here, the pulling right guard is responsible for stopping pursuit from the inside, Z is responsible for the SS, and the FB's target is the cornerback. O O O C O O O O O O O 3) 29 Quick Pitch: Quick, QUICK hitting play to the weak side. This play has the potential to hit it big, especially against the "Max Blitz". Here, the left tackle and X are crossing to get good angles for blocking the cornerback and outside LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 4) 49 Sweep Weak: Power sweep for the FB to the weak side. Watch out for the blitz because this play needs time to develop. Can't let defense string this play out to the sideline, FB needs to cut up field as soon as he sees daylight. Both guards lead FB on this play. O O O C O O O O O O O 5) 28 Sweep: Power sweep to the strong side. Watch out for the blitz! Right tackle releases to block down field, leaving the defensive end for the FB. Here, HB cuts off of TE's block on the LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 6) 24 Trap: Good, basic running play. Works best when the defense is coming hard. Here, the defensive tackle is doubled by the right guard and tackle while the defensive end is pounded ("trapped") by the pulling left guard. The HB cuts off the pulling guard's block. O O O C O O O O O O O 7) 37 Slant: A good, sound play for the FB. Potential for big gain to the weak side. Here, it's important for the left tackle to take the defensive end to the inside, leaving the FB to cut off the HB's lead block on the LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 8) 26 Belly: A muscle play for the HB off right tackle. This play double teams the defensive end by using the right tackle and TE, leaving the pulling left guard to seal against the inside LB and the FB to cut down the outside LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 9) 20 Fold: A good running play against the 4-3 defense. The key is to get their left defensive tackle to think we're running wide to our strong side by pulling our right guard that way ("false key"). This play bulls right over the tackle and center's FOLD block on the tackle and MLB. FB's role is to block left defensive tackle to the outside as he's tricked to pursuing that way. O O O C O O O O O O O 10) 45 Blast: A punishing, muscle play for the FB to the weak side. This play works especially well when the defense overshifts to the strong side. HB's role is to kick out outside LB. O O O C O O O O O O O 11) 45 Counter: Misdirection play. Showing strong side sweep (pulling guards and HB), but sending the FB off weak side guard. This play could explode for big yardage if the defense is fooled and over pursues, but the FB gets slammed if they don't bite. Left tackle is responsible for sealing the defensive end to the outside and not on a collision course with the FB. O O O C O O O O O O O 12) Y Reverse Left: Another misdirection play which depends on fooling the defense. A blitz could wreck the reverse. Left tackle is responsible for sealing off inside pursuit. O O O C O O O O O O O 13) 42 Dive: FB dives over the line for short yardage as linemen pinch in hard, pushing the defense back. O O O C O O O O O O O 14) 20 Quick Trap: HB hits the line quickly and powerfully for short yardage. Center crosses to take out right defensive tackle while left guard crosses to trap left defensive tackle. This play has the potential to burn the "Max Blitz". O O O C O O O O O O O 15) Shotgun X Cross: This offense is designed to give the QB more time to pass. This offense works well if the X receiver is facing man-to-man coverage and can outrun his defender. Against zone defenses, QB must hit X in the seams. Z is responsible for clearing the DB's from the right side of the field for X. O O O C O O O O O O O 16) 54 Y Go: This offense works best when the safeties are stunting or helping in double coverage. X and Z must stretch the defense toward the sidelines. O O O C O O O O O O O 17) 85 Z Fly: Long bombs will stretch the defense out. Zone to the weak side, mombo, combo, or man-to-man are the best defenses to run this offense against. QB must be careful not to under-throw or throw the ball too far inside. O O O C O O O O O O O 18) Pass 28 X Fly: Much like offense #17, but with the QB faking the run and rolling out to the weak side to pass. The "Max Blitz" and the weak zone defenses are the defenses to watch out for when running this play. O O O C O O O O O O O 19) 50 Z Post: This offense will work best when the safeties are playing up tight. By looking to go left, the QB can freeze the FS and help clear the middle for Z. O O O C O O O O O O O 20) 82 Z Corner: This offense will get the best results when the Z receiver has man-to-man coverage or when the weak side safety is in a combo. O O O C O O O O O O O 21) 82 Z Pop: A quick, hard pass to the Z receiver. This offensive play has the potential to go all the way against a blitz. This is a solid 5-6 yard pass play, but going through the middle is tough on Z's concentration. O O O C O O O O O O O 22) 50 X Quick Out: A VERY quick pass to the X receiver. This pass could get you 5 yards and out of trouble against the blitz. On quick passes such as this one, offensive linemen must fire out quickly and low to bring the defensive linemen down to create a clear throwing lane for the QB. O O O C O O O O O O O 23) 84 Z Square Out: While a mombo or strong zone could be trouble for this pass, it can usually get you 10-15 yards against man-to-man coverage. Like all out patterns, this pass must be gunned to the receiver's outside. O O O C O O O O O O O 24) 80 Y Cross: Passes straight up the middle are a big risk, but this pass is pretty effective against man-to-man and zone coverage. Y is the primary receiver on this play, but, depending on the coverage, Z could be safer to go to. The backs flare out wide to draw LB coverage. If the LB's don't bite, they will clog up the middle. O O O C O O O O O O O 25) 84 Y Straight: This play is designed to work against zone defenses with Y heading straight down the seam between the LB and SS. Man-to-man coverage is a problem. O O O C O O O O O O O 26) 83 X Curl: This play could get you 10-15 yards against man- to-man coverage, but is most effective against a strong zone. This is a timing pattern, and with all timing patterns, the QB must make his throw before or as the receiver makes his break. O O O C O O O O O O O 27) 88 A & B Slip: This is a high percentage pass over the middle for 5-7 yards. This pass usually works great against blitzes. The keys here are the LB's who are responsible for the backs when they run pass patterns. Y runs his route to the outside to draw the strong side LB and the QB reads LB's to see which back they pick up out of the backfield. O O O C O O O O O O O 28) 89 A Hook: Another high percentage pass which usually works well against a blitz. This pass also works well against strong zone coverage, but could be in trouble against the combo or weak zone. If A can't find an opening against the LB, QB can throw past A to X. O O O C O O O O O O O 29) Rollout Strong Flood: The flood pass patterns are for zone defenses. The receivers "flood" 1 or 2 zones with 2 or 3 receivers to get a receiver open. Here, the QB tries to hit Y between the short and deep zones. If Y is covered, QB must tuck the ball and get as much as he can out of the play. QB could be in trouble if defense blitzes. O O O C O O O O O O O 30) Delay Roll Middle Flood: Using the same concept as offense #29, this offense could work well against zone defenses. If the defense isn't blitzing, the delayed rollout by the QB will also give him enough time to pick apart man-to-man coverage. HB must cut off inside pursuit to buy the QB more time. O O O C O O O O O O O 31) Pass 24 B Flat: This play action pass works well against defenses geared to stop the run or defenses which use zone coverage. O O O C O O O O O O O 32) Pass 49 Throwback Left: The play of the QB makes this play go. Initial action is faking sweep to the weak side. The weak side safety coming up in a combo could intercept this pass for a TD. This is a dangerous play because the QB must pass the ball to the FB over several defenders. O O O C O O O O O O O 33) Pass 24 B Rim: This pass works best against man-to-man coverage when a LB must cover the FB. A zone defense will usually stop this play. O O O C O O O O O O O 34) Pass 37 A Squirt: This pass is good when the defense is in a short yardage type defense. In short yardage, the HB has a good chance to beat the LB covering him. If the LB is covering the HB short, the QB pump fakes, the HB cuts deep up field, and the QB hits the HB deep. This play is designed to fool a defense trying to defend the "37 Slant". O O O C O O O O O O O 35) Pass 28 X Square Out: This play could get 10-15 yards and will work especially well if the defense is in a strong zone, mombo, or looking for the run. The QB could be in trouble if the defense blitzes. The offense fakes the sweep to the strong side and throws to the weak side. O O O C O O O O O O O 36) HB Option Pass Right: This offense will have trouble against a mombo or zone, but has a good chance against man-to-man coverage. The HB has the option to run the ball if Z (primary) and Y (secondary) are covered. O O O C O O O O O O O 37) Flea Flicker: This is not a high percentage pass, but has the potential to hit it big. Works best against man-to-man coverage or if the defense is up tight. X must convince the secondary he is not involved in the play, then shoot down field. Ball movement goes as follows: QB to HB faking sweep right, HB to Z faking reverse, then Z back to QB. O O O C O O O O O O O 38) X Screen: Works well against defenses which charge the QB. The X receiver will get the ball quickly, giving him the opportunity to show his moves. Left guard and tackle move down field quickly to block for X. QB fakes "20 Fold" to freeze LB's. O O O C O O O O O O O 39) FB Screen Right: When the defense is blitzing or blasting, this play could cost them big. Linemen must fake pass protection and then get down field to block for FB. QB must drop deep to lure defensive linemen. O O O C O O O O O O O 40) Quick Screen Left: This screen won't get as much yardage as the FB screen, but it is a less risky pass and will still slow up a blitzing defense. Down field blockers must get off the line and to the outside quickly. QB fakes 34 FB Draw to hold the LB's. Remember, a incomplete backwards pass is a fumble. O O O C O O O O O O O 41) 20 Trap Draw: The defense can usually stop this play if their linemen under or over shift, but the offense will have the upper hand if the linemen are blasting or twisting to stop the pass. Linemen must fake pass block, then block for the HB. Center is responsible for taking out right defensive tackle while left guard "traps" left defensive tackle. O O O C O O O O O O O 42) 34 FB Draw: This play will find the going tough against a twisting front four, while a hard charging front four will most likely get burned. Right guard lets defensive tackle rush past him to the inside while the right tackle takes the defensive end to the outside, making room for the FB to pass between them. O O O C O O O O O O O 49) Shotgun X Comeback: This pass can get you 8-10 yards against man-to-man and especially zone coverage. Blitzes could cause trouble for the QB. X must sell deep pattern before making comeback. Z runs deep post to draw the safeties away from X. O O O C O O O O O O O 50) Ace 37 Shovel Pass: This play works like a draw. The QB shows pass and then shovels the ball to the FB. Right guard pulls to trap defensive end. Will work against defenses playing back to guard against the pass and against defenses where the linemen are coming in hard. O O O C O O O O O O O 51) 85 H Corner: On this pass, we try to force a LB into coverage on H. For this reason, this pass works great against man-to-man coverage, but will also work well against zones. X is responsible for driving DB's deep and away from H. O O O C O O O O O O O 52) Fake 21 Boot Strong: QB fakes the trap play and bootlegs to the strong side while X is freezing the defense by faking "X Screen". Left guard pulls to help guard the QB. The QB has the option to run or pass to Z depending on what strong side cornerback does. O O O C O O O O O O O 53) 25 Lead: On this play, the QB gets the ball deep to the HB in the backfield so the HB has plenty of time to read his blocks. Keying the guard, the HB can take the ball outside or inside, or cut back across the field. O O O C O O O O O O O 54) 26 Sprint Draw: Like offenses #41 & #42, this play will work well when the defense is expecting a pass. On this play, the QB is faking a rollout pass. HB cuts on right tackle's block. Y goes down field to block SS. O O O C O O O O O O O 55) 28 Triple Option: The 3 options the QB has on this play are: handing the ball off to the FB, keeping and running the ball around the end, or pitching the ball back to the HB for him to run the ball around the end. The 2 reads the QB must make are: the FB read area (area opposite the right tackle) to see if he should hand off to the FB, and the area vacated by the TE to see if he should keep or pitch the ball to the HB (the QB will pitch the ball if the DE or LB comes to tackle him). This offense could be in trouble if the safeties are in a mombo and could lose a QB if the outside LB is blitzing. A quick, fast, gutsy QB is needed to pull this play off. O O O C O O O O O O O 56) 36 G: This play calls for the right tackle and TE to block to their inside while the right guard pulls right and leads the FB through the 6 hole - a powerful push through the line. O O O C O O O O O O O 57) 28 Cut Back: This play counts on deceiving the defense the play is going wide left. The HB looks like he's going off left tackle, but he then quickly cuts back to head wide right, hoping the strong outside LB took the bait. The HB gets the ball deep in the backfield so he can get a good view of the entire line of scrimmage. A quick, fast HB is needed for this play. O O O C O O O O O O O 58) Double-Tight 35 Slam: This play is good for short yardage. By adding a TE to the weak side in substitution for Z and having the other TE come in motion to unload a trap block on the DE, the offense gets lots of push up the 5 hole. O O O O C O O O O O O 59) 84 Z Out & Up: Just like "84 Z Square Out" except Z fakes the out to draw his defender in, the QB pump fakes to Z, and then Z quickly darts up field on a fly pattern. This offense has good potential against man-to-man and mombo coverage, but a strong zone could be trouble. O O O C O O O O O O O 60) Spread W Fan: Much like "85 H Corner" except this play runs to the right from the spread formation. The objective is to lock a LB into coverage on W. O O O C O O O O O O O 61) Shotgun Hail Mary: The offense can call this play for a last second miracle. Here, one receiver, with good jumping ability, is called to tip the incoming, deep pass to one of the other 2 receivers. Cross your fingers for a pass interference call or one of your receivers actually coming down with the ball among all the bodies and confusion. This play is even less reliable than a fleaflicker, but will work best against zone defenses. O O C O O O O O O O O 62) QB Draw: Another good play when the offense only needs 1 or 2 yards. Faking a run wide right, the QB tries to sneak through the line off his center's block. Works particularly well when the defense leaves the center uncovered with a lineman. O O O C O O O O O O O 63) Flea Flicker Z Post: A variation of offense #37 with the HB running into the line with the ball and then pitching it back to the QB. A low percentage pass, but if the defense goes for the fake, the offense could hit the jackpot. O O O C O O O O O O O 64) Double-Tight Blind Bootleg Right: This play will work well when the defense is geared to stop the run. It's called a blind bootleg because the QB has no protection when he rolls right, hoping the outside LB gets caught going for the fake. The QB has the option to run or throw to his TE, depending on how the defense reacts. Call the medics for the QB if the outside LB is blitzing hard. O O O O C O O O O O O 65) Spread Middle Screen: Much like FB Screen Right, this screen is delayed until the defensive linemen overrun the receiving back and his blockers. Works best when defense is coming in hard. O O O C O O O O O O O 66) TE Screen Left: A hard pursuing defense will get burned going for the sweep being faked to the strong side. A Max Blitz could mess up this play, leaving the QB little time to set the play up. O O O C O O O O O O O _________________________________________________________________ LEXICON _________________________________________________________________ Here are some terms you will come across in Field General and in the game of professional football: A - the left running back on pass plays. Ace - formation where only 1 running back is present in the backfield. B - the right running back on pass plays. Bear Defense - the old "46" defense of Buddy Ryan with a six-man front, emphasizing the pass rush. Bite Down - a cornerback charging up to a wide receiver. Blast - defensive linemen go directly for QB before reacting to runs. Blitz - linebackers and/or safeties are used to rush the QB. Blue - offensive backfield set to tight end's side. Bootleg/Boot - QB fakes the run to one side, keeps the ball, and rolls out to the other side to either pass or run. Brown - offensive backs set to split end's side. Bump and Run - aggressive man-to-man coverage by legally jamming a wide receiver at the line of scrimmage. CB - cornerback. Combo - weak side cornerback and safety put double- team coverage on X. Comeback Pattern - pass route where receiver drives his defender back by faking a fly pattern, then breaks back toward the QB. Corner/Flag Route - pass route cutting toward the sidelines at a 45-60 degree angle. Crossing Route - pass route running across the field of play. Curl Pattern - pass route running straight down field, stopping sharply, and turning back toward the inside to face the QB. DB - defensive back. Difference Makers - players who make the big play. Double-Tight - formation utilizing 2 TE's. Draw - a play in which the QB drops back as to pass and then hands the ball off to a runner. FB - fullback. Flex - defensive formation used by Tom Landry and the Cowboys, emphasizing run defense. Flooding a Zone - offense sends two or more receivers into one defensive zone. Fly Pattern - straight pass route, full speed ahead. Fold Block - this is where one guard blocks the MLB while the center blocks the DT over the guard. Also known as a cross block. Free Safety (FS) - weak side safety. H - slot back. A running back lines up outside and behind the left tackle to get down field easier and quicker on pass routes. Hail Mary - a play sending 3 or more receivers deep down field to the same spot to receive a lob pass from the QB in hopes of drawing an interference call or making a spectacular catch among the confusion of offensive and defensive players. HB - halfback. Hook Pattern - pass route running straight down field, stopping sharply, and turning to the outside to face the QB. I-formation - both offensive backs stacked. Key - defensive linemen watch moves of certain offensive linemen to detect what play is being run. Man-To-Man - defenders cover receivers one-on-one. Middle Wedge - term use on kickoff returns. Here, the kick return team sets up a return down the middle of the field by having its blockers form a wall (wedge) across the field for the return man to run behind. Misdirection Play - linemen and other offensive players go in the opposite direction of ball movement to deceive defenders. Also known as a "false key". Mombo - safeties combine to cover Y. If Y goes outside, strong safety covers. If Y goes inside, weak safety covers Y with strong safety helping on Z. Nickel Offense - lining up 3 or more wide receivers. Nickel Prevent - defense uses 5 or more defensive backs, instead of 4, to stop big gain. No-huddle Offense - continuous offensive plays without regrouping in a huddle. Designed to catch the defense out of position. Out Pattern - pass route cutting toward the sidelines. Out & Up Pattern - pass route cutting toward the sidelines to fake an out pattern and draw the defender up, then turning and running up the sidelines. Over - defensive linemen shift to strong side. Pancake - a crunching block which flattens a defensive player. Play Action Pass - offense fakes run, then passes. Post Pattern - pass route looking outside, then angling toward the goalpost. Primary receiver - the main receiver. The receiver for whom the play is intended. QB - quarterback. Red - offensive backfield in split formation. Red Zone - when offense is inside its opponent's 20 yardline. Safety X - weak side safety crosses to his outside. Screen Pass - short pass to running back in the flat. Secondary receiver - the receiver the passer checks off to if the primary receiver is not open. Short Side - side closest to the sidelines. Also known as the "tight side". Shovel Pass - a short forward pass thrown from the chest or hip instead of over the shoulder. Square Him Up - when a defensive back levels a wide receiver. Spread Formation - also known as the nickel offense or Run & Shoot formation. This formation utilizes 4 wide receivers. SS - strong (side) safety. Stinger - a sharp pain, often to the shoulder, after contact. Strong Side - the side to which the TE lines up. Stutter - in-and-out, zig-zag route of a wide receiver. TE - tight end. Tendencies - play calling habits. Tight Defense - a defense geared to stop runs and short passes by bringing the safeties up. Toast - a defensive back who gets burned. Trap - letting a defensive lineman come across line of scrimmage, then blocking him from the side. Turf Toe - jamming a toe into the ground, resulting in a sprain. Twist - stunt by defensive linemen. Linemen criss- cross to beat pass protection. Under - defensive linemen shift to weak side. Water Moccasins - stud linemen. Weak Side - the opposite side to which the TE lines up. Wedge Right (Left) - term used on kickoff returns. Here, the kick return team sets up a return down the right sideline by having their blockers form a wall (wedge) parallel to the right sideline and somewhere between the right hash and right sideline. The result is a running lane between the wedge and right sideline for the return man. Wide Side - side furthest from the sidelines. V - in the spread formation, the receiver which lines up in the slot on the left side (side opposite the TE). W - in the spread formation, the receiver which lines up in the slot on the right side (TE side). X - the wide receiver which lines up on the left side (side opposite the TE). Y - tight end. Z - the wide receiver which lines up on the right side (TE side). Zone - the pass defense where defensive backs are responsible for sections (zones) of the field instead of being responsible for a single receiver.