SKID ROW

presents

TOM LANDRY STRATEGY FOOTBALL
USER'S GUIDE

Table of Contents

Introduction.......................................iii

Installation - Amiga Version.......................5
System Requirements.............................5
Setup and Installation..........................5

Preparing for the Big Game.........................7
Getting Started.................................7
Controls........................................7

Quick Start (1 person play)........................8

Main Menu..........................................9
3 Ways to Play..................................9
Human vs. Human.................................10
Human vs. Computer..............................10
Computer vs. Computer...........................10

Setting Game Conditions............................11
Current Season..................................11
Select League...................................12
Select Teams....................................13
Scouting Reports................................13
Scenario Editor.................................14
Modem Options...................................15
Preferences.....................................18
Rules...........................................20
Level...........................................20

How to Play Tom Landry Strategy Football...........21
TLSF Offensive Plays............................22
TLSF Defensive Plays............................26
Other Options to Choose During a Game...........28
Miscellaneous...................................30

The Game is Over - What Next?......................33
View Scoring Drives.............................33
Update Season Stats.............................34

Game-winning Play-calling Strategy.................36
Football Strategy...............................36
Field Position..................................37
Passing.........................................38
Running.........................................39
Offensive Formations............................39
Defensive Formations............................40

Introductions

I've been asked many times what it takes to become a successful
head football coach. Is it preparation? Knowledge? Personnel
and time management skills? Dedication? Determination?

The answer is no secret - it takes all of these factors and a lot
more, even a little bit of luck!

Tom Landry Strategy Football (TLSF) is the first strategy football
game which tests your coaching ability in all of these areas. In
fact, TLSF is more than just a game, it's a football simulation which
offers you everything real coaches have at their disposal - and more!

Even though pro coaching is a complicated business, we have designed
TLSF so that it can be enjoyed by beginners and experts, alike. Extensive
online help - including football fundamentals, rules, and terminology -
is available if you want it. Plus, in the Ask Landry option, I share my
advice and philosophy in numerous play situations, based on down and
distance, field position, score, and time remaining. And play-calling
is easy - just point and click and your team is off and running.

Football has been a very important part of my life, and I am happy to
share some of my coaching experience with you in TLSF. Even if you
don't aspire to become a pro football coach, I hope TLSF will enhance
your understanding and increase your enjoyment of football - either as
a player or a fan.

Tom Landry

Installation - Amiga Version

System Requirements

o Amiga 500, 1000, 2000, & 3000
o Kickstart 1.3 or higher
o 1 Megabyte RAM
o Hard drive recommended

Setup and Installation

Because TLSF is very memory-intensive, you need at least 1MB of RAM
to play the game. If you find you cannot load the game, be sure to
shut down other tasks and close any extra windows you have open.

TLSF is multi-tasking. Of course, you need to have enough memory
to run other tasks.

Caution: Back up your TLSF disks before attempting this installation.
Only work with the backup disks.

There are two disks included with TLSF. The disks must be labelled
TLSF1 and TLSF2. The first disk contains an introduction, while
Disk 2 contains executable files necessary to run TLSF.

Note: Run the game by double-clicking the icon labelled "Football"
on Disk 1; after the introduction is completed, the game will
automatically load. You can cut the introduction short by clicking
the mouse button.

Floppy Disk Users. Start the game by double-clicking on the "Football"
icon on Disk 1. The game will prompt you when you need to insert
the other disk. Always work with your backup disks!

Disk 2 must be write-enabled. Rosters, stats, records, season stats,
game summaries, and saved games are saved to Disk 2.

Hard Drive Installation. There is an intuitive install program found
on Disk 2. Double-click on the "Install-TLSF" icon found there.
You will be asked where you want to install the game (e.g., "Work:games"
- the default is "Work:").

If you have enough space on the partition (2.2MB), the installation
will take place.

Note: Some changes will be made to your "s:user-startup" (for the
TLSFApp,:TLSF@:" and "TLSF#:" must be assigned).

Now just open the drawer where you installed the game and double-
click on the "Football" icon to start the game!

Preparing for the Big Game

Getting Started

Following system startup, a TLSF introductory animation sequence is
displayed. Should you prefer to bypass this introduction, you may
press any key on the keyboard. After the introduction, the user validation
screen is displayed.

The user validation screen shows an offensive play diagram and prompts
you to enter a 3-character password printed in this manual. Turn to the
page of this manual which contains the exact same offensive play diagram.
Locate the correct password printed below the diagram and enter this
password from your keyboard. If you have entered the correct password,
the Main Menu will appear.

(Fuck that, SKID ROW was here!)

Controls

Tom Landry Strategy Football has a point-and-click interface, with the
mouse being the primary computer tool you will use to make selections
from all menus and screens. To make your selection, simply place the
on-screen mouse pointer over the selection you wish to make, and click
using the left mouse button.

Note: Some menu buttons may contain a series of options. In such cases,
you may click on the left-hand side of the menu button to move forward
through the options, or you may click on the right-hand side of the
menu button to move backward through the options.

On any TLSF screen where text input is required, you must use the
keyboard to enter the required numbers of characters. In Computer
vs. Computer play, pressing any key on the keyboard will stop the
game and will return you to the Main Menu.

Quick Start (1 person play)

For those football enthusiasts who are already familiar with football
strategy and would rather jump right in and play Tom Landry Strategy
Football, the following instructions will enable you to quickly learn
to play this game.

Step Action

Note: Ensure that Tom Landry Strategy Football is installed
according to the installation instructions found in this manual.
Start TLSF according to the starting instructions in the front
of this manual.

1 Click on Select Teams. Select your visiting team from the SELECT
VISITING TEAM screen. After the SELECT HOME TEAM screen
automatically appears, select your home team.

2 On the Main Menu for TODAY'S GAME, let the computer coach one team
and you coach the other.

3 Click on Preferences to set your own preferences.

4 Click on PLAY THE GAME.

5 When on offense, select a play you think will be effective. When
on defense, pay attention to field position, offensive formation,
the down marker, and yards to go to first down.

Main Menu

When the Main Menu automatically appears, you can do everything from
reviewing scouting reports to planning your own game-winning strategy.
In addition, the Main Menu enables you to choose whether you want to
play against a friend or against the computer.

3 Ways to Play

o Human vs. Human
o Human vs. Computer
o Computer vs. Computer

Figure 1 illustrates how you may select any of these options from the
TODAY'S GAME section of the Main Menu. Each button may be toggled
in two positions - Human or Computer - via the point-and-click interface.
If, for example, you (Washington) want to play against the computer
(Buffalo), you would click on the button next to Buffalo until Computer
is displayed. In the same way, you would click on the button next to
Washington until Human is displayed. Once play has begun, these options
may not be changed unless you quit the game.

TODAY'S GAME

BUFFALO Computer
VS
WASHINGTON Human

Figure 1. 3 Ways to Play

Human vs. Human

This option provides the greatest variety in play while requiring,
perhaps, the greatest amount of skill. You can play with another
person at your location, or you can play with someone at a remote
location via a modem. Refer to Modem Play in this manual for detailed
instructions on playing TLSF using a modem.

Human vs. Computer

This option still requires the same amount of skill as before, but now
you are pitting your play-calling skills against those of the computer.
When playing against the computer, TLSF randomly selects plays based
on statistical data pertinent to the way each pro team plays. For
example, Houston likes to run the Run and Shoot offense, so the computer
randomly calls plays based upon Houston's team statistics.

Computer vs. Computer

If you just want to sit back, relax, and enjoy watching your two favorite
teams play, then choose this mode of play. You will still be able to
see what plays the computer calls as you cheer your team to victory.
You may stop play and return to the Main Menu at any time by pressing
any key on the keyboard.

The Computer vs. Computer option is also for when you want to play a
quick game of football. To speed up the game, click on the Preferences
button and turn off the animation. To play an even quicker game, click
on the Preferences button and turn off both the animation and the
computer's calls.

Setting Game Conditions

Setting game conditions enables you to prepare an effective game plan
against your opponent. You can do everything from scout your opponent
prior to the big game, to review your opponent's roster to identify
player strengths and weaknesses. TLSF also includes a few extras to
help you and your friends enjoy a day of football - a scenario editor
to explore "what if" situations, and modem play to enable you to play
football with friends when they cannot come over to your house.

CURRENT SEASON

Select League
Select Teams
Scouting Reports

Scenario Editor

Modem Options

Current Season

Current Season allows you to view season statistics, season records,
and clear all season statistics for the games you have played.
Following the completion of a game, TLSF enables you to save game
statistics to your hard disk, so that the next time you start up
TLSF, you can review previous game statistics. The statistics you
save after you play a game make up the current season statistics.
Clicking on CURRENT SEASON enables you to select from among the
following options.

Season Stats. Clicking on this button allows you to select from among the
28 pro teams whose statistics you wish to view. You can view total
season statistics for games you have already played, or you can view
average statistics on a per game basis. From this screen you may view
team statistics or individual player statistics.

Note: Prior to or following each game, you may print team and player
statistics to a text file from which you can edit text using a text
editor or word processor. Once finished editing the file, print the
statistics on any compatible printer.

Clicking on GO! takes you back to the SELECT TEAM menu where you may
view another team's statistics, or click on RETURN to take you back
to the CURRENT SEASON area of the Main Menu.

Season Records. This screen shows you how well your favorite pro team
is playing. The records shows wins, losses, and ties. Clicking on GO!
takes you back to the CURRENT SEASON area of the Main Menu.

Clear the Season. Clicking on Clear the Season erases all current season
statistics for games you have played so far.

Warning: When you clear season statistics, the data is totally erased and
cannot be recovered.

Select League

When you click on Select League, the SELECT A LEAGUE screen appears
where you may choose the league you want. Clicking on RETURN takes you
back to the Main Menu.

Select Teams

Clicking on Select Teams allows you to choose your teams for today's
matchup. From the SELECT VISITING TEAM screen, you may choose your
visiting team. After clicking on your visiting team, the SELECT HOME
TEAM screen automatically appears. Following the selection of the
home team, the Main Menu reappears.

Scouting Reports

Scouting reports are used by each pro team to assess opponent's strengths
and weaknesses. An accurate scouting report can mean the difference
between winning and losing.

Clicking on Scouting Reports takes you to the SCOUTING REPORTS screen
where you may view the reports for any of the 28 pro teams. You may
view the reports for offense and defense by clicking on Offense or
Defense.

When viewing the scouting report for the offense, you may want to click
on Check Tendencies, which shows how likely the offense runs versus
passes the ball on first, second, or third down, depending on
the yards to go for the first down.

The defensive scouting report bases defensive player's ability to stop
the ball carrier versus the run and versus the pass.

Team ratings are also displayed for penalty percentage, blocking, pass
rush, and causing fumbles.

Click on RETURN to take you back to the SCOUTING REPORTS screen; clicking
on RETURN again takes you to the Main Menu.

Scenario Editor

Figure 2 shows the Scenario Editor screen. The Scenario Editor may
be used when

o you do not have time to play a complete game
o you want to practice particular game situations (two-minute offense,
etc.)
o you want to relive some of football's greatest plays.

BUFFALO 7 TIME 2:00 DOWN SECOND
WASHINGTON 7 QTR SECOND TO GO 10

YARDLINE WASHINGTON 35

POSSESSION BUFFALO WIND Strong
GOING North BLOWING South
PRECIP. Light Rain

NEW GAME

Figure 2. Scenario Editor

To change the data in any field within the Scenario Editor, simply click
on that field and type in the new data using the keyboard. Using the
Scenario Editor is both simple and quick. For example, if you want
to practice your fourth quarter two-minute offense, simply click the
game clock TIME 2:00 with the mouse pointer changing the clock (using
the keyboard) to 2:00 remaining in the game. Next change the QTR (quarter)
to FOURTH, and set the score, weather, ball possession, and yardline
marker to whatever you wish depending upon the game conditions you want
to set up. Clicking on GO! saves your selections and takes you back
to the Main Menu. Clicking on PLAY THE GAME starts your two-minute
offense drill. Clicking on NEW GAME resets the Scenario Editor data
fields to the default values.

Modem Options

Clicking on Modem Options allows you to play TLSF with a friend at a
remote location provided both of you have a modem. Figure 3 shows
the Modem Options screen in which data can be entered via the mouse
and keyboard.

Note: TLSF Amiga version players may play against IBM or Macintosh
players using a modem.

NAME Default PHONE SAVED FILES
DIAL ATDT ATDT ATDP Default
ANSWER ATS0=1
ATS0=1 ATA

BPS COMM PORT
o 1200 o 9600 o 38400 o COM1 o COM3 SAVE
o 2400 o 19200 o 57600 o COM2 o COM4 DELETE

Figure 3. Modem Options

Note: Please refer to your modem manufacturer instructions for
connection to your computer.

Modem Screen. On the Modem screen you need to select:

o Dial command for your modem (often ATDT or ATDP)*
To disable your call-waiting, consult your local telephone
company. A common command is *70 (for example, the command
would be "ATDT *70").

o Answer command for your modem * ATS0=1 signals it to answer on the
first ring ATA signals "auto-answer."

o Baud rate (of course, both machines have to be the same).

o COM PORT (for PC-compatibles), either: COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4.

o Select DIAL or ANSWER for remote connection, DIRECT for null-modem.

Remote Location Connection. If connecting directly via a null-modem,
both machines simply select the DIRECT button.

If connecting via a modem, you need to decide beforehand which player is
going to call and who is going to answer, and select the appropriate
buttons. The TLSF software will dial and establish the connection. If
successful, you will be returned to the Main Menu. If you cannot
connect, a message will notify you of the problem, such as The line's
busy.

Playing the Game via Modem. When you have control, the game plays
normally. The player who selects PLAY THE GAME from the modem screen
is the Home team, and does several things, including the game setup.
Hence, you can create a scenario that is automatically sent across to the
remote player.

One player at a time has control, and the other player will see a message
like Your opponent is deciding. The person in control can set all the
game options that are normally available (instant replay, consult Landry,
make player substitutions, etc.), including Chat with the opponent.
The current offensive and defensive screens reflect each player's
previous non-kicking call, so you can keep tabs on each other's
tendencies.

Chatting. Clicking on the CHAT button opens two windows for typing
messages to each other. Chatting is not available if either player
is in low-res (animation, consulting Landry) and you will get a message
saying this. Once the chat windows are open, you can each type messages
to each other. Your text appears in the upper window, and your opponent's
messages appear in the lower one. Either player can exit the chatting
mode by clicking on the Exit button.

Troubleshooting. Check to make sure you are both at the same baud rate.

Preferences

This screen allows you to set game conditions. A check mark in the box
next to the condition means the condition is enabled. To deselect a
game condition, click on the box you want to deselect and the red check
mark will disappear. The default is where every game condition (box
with red check mark) selected.

Note: As indicated earlier, preferences may be changed during a game by
clicking Prefs in the command bar at the bottom of the screen.

If you want to play a fast game, turn animation off. However, you can
still view any play by selecting either SHOW (for real-time) or REPLAY
(for VCR-mode).

The following game conditions may be set for your game:

o Use modern timing
Until recent years, the clock stopped if a player went out of bounds
or if there was a penalty on the play, and it did not restart until
the ball was snapped. Modern rules, however, try to speed up the
game. Under modern rules, officials restart the clock after kick
returns, players going out of bounds, and declined penalties,
after the chains have been moved. There are exceptions to these
rules; however; in the final 5 minutes of the 4th quarter or final
2 minutes of the 2nd (and overtime quarters), the clock does not
restart until the ball is snapped.

o Injuries
This option makes players susceptible to injury.

o Fatigue
Players tire at a normal rate; substitutions can be made for tired
and/or injured players.

o Homefield advantage
Playing in front of the hometown fans offers a distinct advantage;
also, many domed stadiums offer an advantage in that the crowd noise
can be a factor in whether the visiting team can hear audibles at
the line of scrimmage.

o Play sound effects
Sound effects are built into the program which will enhance your
enjoyment when playing TLSF.

o Music
Music is played at all menus and submenus, but not during animation
sequences.

o Show digitized PICS
Whenever you score a touchdown, field goal, safety, or incur a
penalty, a digitized referee appears on the screen to signal the
points scored or the infraction. You may turn off this feature
to speed up game play.

o Show animation
When this option is selected, you will the see the players on the
playing field throughout the game. You may turn this feature off
to speed up game play.

o Show computer's calls
When playing computer vs. computer, or human vs. computer, you will
see what offensive or defensive play the computer calls. You may
turn this feature off to speed up game play.

Rules

TLSF enables you to choose the rules by which you want to play. You may
choose among Regular Season, or Playoff rules. Regular season and
playoffs rules are almost identical with the exception of overtime
play. Remember, after play has started, you will not be able to change
the rules.

To make a rules section, click on the button until the selection you
want is displayed on the screen.

Overtime. In overtime (Sudden Death), the first team scoring - in any
way - wins the game.

o Regular season pro games go one overtime only. If no one scores
by the end of the 5th quarter, the game ends in a tie.
o Playoff games keep going until a team scores, playing as many
quarters as necessary. At every fourth quarter, there is a coin
toss. At every odd quarter (5, 7, ...), there is a kickoff. In
overtime, each team has only two timeouts.

Level

For those rare occasions when the head coach is away on game day, the
assistant coach gets to run the team. There are two levels from which
to choose: Head Coach and Assistant Coach. The head coach has the entire
playbook from which to call plays, whereas, the assistant coach has
limited play-calling ability. To make a coaching selection, click on the
button until the selection you want is displayed on the screen.

How to Play Tom Landry Strategy Football

You have chosen your opponent for today's game, set your game conditions
and now it's time to play the game. This screen welcomes you to today's
contest and shows you the current weather conditions.

Now it's time for the coin toss. The visiting team makes the call. The
kicking team decides which goal it wants to defend. The winner of the
coin toss decides whether to receive the opening kickoff or wait to
take the ball at the beginning of the second half. The kicking team
usually wants to kick with the wind because it will then be at their
back in the fourth quarter.

After you choose to RECEIVE or KICK the ball, the KICKING OPTIONS screen
appears. You must now choose whether to kick the ball onside, squib,
or deep. Clicking the mouse on GO! in the command bar starts the
game.

TLSF Offensive Plays

Tom Landry Strategy Football consists of various offensive plays actually
taken from Tom Landry's playbook. Figure 4 show the Offense screen
from which you will make all of your offensive play selections.

OFFENSIVE FORMATION CATEGORY STANDARD PASSES
FORMATION: One Back Middle Runs o Short Pass
PASS PATTERN: Curl Inside Runs / Medium Pass
o HOT RECEIVER / Motion Outside Runs o Long Pass
____________________________ Standard Passes / Play Action
| | Finesse Passes
| | Kicks PRIMARY RECEIVER
| Playing Field | o HB BOINER
| | o RV DUCK
|____________________________| o FL POPE
o LE CLAURE
Weather Clock Scout Subs Landry / RE JOHNS

Figure 4. Offense Screen

Whatever you select as your offensive play is displayed on the miniature
playing field located in the OFFENSIVE FORMATION area of the Offense
screen. For example, let's say you select the One Back formation,
Curl pass pattern with motion; this play is displayed on the playing
field at the left.

Formations. There are seven offensive formations that are available:

o Pro Set (good formation for outside runs and for passing)
o Pro I (good formation for inside runs - slants and counters)
o Brown (good formation for inside runs to the weak side)
o Short Yardage (strongest run formation)
o One Back (good formation for passes and for sweeps)
o Run and Shoot (an excellent passing formation)
o Shotgun (used for obvious passing situations)

Standard Pass Patterns. There are various offensive pass patterns that
are available depending upon the primary receiver chosen. The Hot
Receiver box, located on the OFFENSIVE FORMATION area of the Offense
screen, is used to designate the Half-back as a receiver who is
available to dump the ball off to only on long pass plays if the
defense blitzes. In addition, by clicking on the Motion box, receivers
may go in motion to add to defensive confusion and to hopefully catch
the defense out of position. When highlighted, you may click on each
of these boxes to designate a Hot Receiver and a receiver in motion.

Short Passes Long Passes

RB Circle, Flat, Flare, Delay RB Corner, Out and Up, Fly, post
WR Zoom, Hitch, Quick Out, Slant WR Post, Corner, Fly
TE Slant In, Slant Out, Delay TE Post, Corner, Fly

Medium Passes

RB Hook, Come Back, Square Out, Sideline
WR Cross, Square Out, Sideline, Hook, Come Back, Square In, Fade
TE Cross, Square Out, Sideline, Hook, Come Back

RB = Running Back, WR = Wide Receiver, TE = Tight End

Middle Runs. Middle runs are designed to test defensive line strength
by running the Back directly over the Center. The middle runs that
are available are:

o Line Plunge
o Middle Trap
o Draw
o Drop to Knee

Inside Runs. Inside runs are also designed to wear down the defensive
line. If your offense can establish a good running game, then you
will limit the time your opponent has the ball. The inside runs that
are available are:

o Slant Left
o Slant Right
o Counter Left
o Counter Right

Outside Runs. Outside running plays are designed for a quick back who
can round the corner without being caught. If he is quick enough, the
back will not be tackled until he reaches the defensive secondary. The
outside runs that are available are:

o Sweep Left
o Sweep Right
o Reverse

Finesse Passes. To execute these types of passes usually requires a great
deal of skill by the quarterback. Some are so called "trick" plays, and as
such, probably should not be called too often. The finesse passes that
are available are:

o Screen
o Half-back (HB) Pass
o Flea Flicker
o Hail Mary

Kicks. Kicks include punts and field goals. In a close game, the play
of your Special Teams can make the difference in whether you win or lose.

TLSF Defensive Plays

Figure 5 shows the Defense screen which features the Defensive Alignment
along with the miniature playing field, FOCUS (run or pass), and potential
offensive ball carriers for keying.

DEFENSIVE ALIGNMENT FOCUS: PASS
FORMATION: 4-3 SHIFT: Normal
COVERAGE: Man to Man BLITZ: None / Double Team

____________________________
Offense | |
is in a | | PRIMARY RECEIVER
One Back | Playing Field | o HB BOINER
Formation | | o RV DUCK
|____________________________| o FL POPE
o LE CLAURE
Weather Clock Scout Subs Landry / RE JOHNS

Figure 5. Defense Screen

Formations. There are six defensive formations available. To select
the formation you want to use, click on the FORMATION button.

o 4-3 (generally good against the run and the pass)
o 3-4 (better against sweeps and short passes)
o Nickel (generally fair against the run but very good against the
pass)
o Prevent (this is primarily a long pass defense)
o Short Yardage (very good defense to use when just a few yards are
needed)
o Goal Line (large linemen at the goal line to prevent the score)

Coverage. Defenses normally use three pass coverages to stop an offense:
Man To Man, 2-Deep Zone ("Halves"), and 3-Deep Zone ("Thirds").
Generally, Man to Man coverage is best against short passes, and it allows
linebackers to blitz, whereas the 2-Deep Zone is best against medium
passes. The 3-Deep Zone is beast against long passes. To select the
coverage you want to use, just point and click on the COVERAGE button.

Shift. A defense can often confuse the offense by using various line
shifts. TLSF uses three shifts: Normal, Under, and Over. To select
the shift you want to use, just point and click on the SHIFT button.

Blitzing. Defensive linebackers and backs love to blitz; mainly because
it causes the offense problems in many cases. There are various types
of blitzes in TLSF: None, ALL LBS, In, and Out. To select the type of
blitz you want to use, if any, point and click on the BLITZ button.
As you scroll through the various blitzes, be sure to notice the players
located on the miniature playing field on the Defensive Alignment screen.

Focus. Throughout the course of a game, good defenses learn the tendencies
of an offense to run versus pass the ball. TLSF enables you to do this
as well, just like the pros. When you learn to anticipate your opponent's
offensive game strategy, you can then focus your defense on the run or the
pass - you can even select to double team or key on a particular ball
carrier or receiver; or you may just want to retain normal player keys
or to key on the flow of the play. To focus on the RUN or the PASS,
point and click on the FOCUS button. When the RUN button is displayed,
you will have the option of retaining normal keys, or keying on the flow
or on a particular man. When the PASS button is displayed and you are in
man to man coverage, you may choose to Double Team a primary receiver.
If so, point and click within the Double Team box and the PRIMARY RECEIVERS
box will be displayed. Once it is displayed, just point and click in
whichever receiver you want to double team.

Other Options to Choose During a Game

Weather. The weather sometimes plays a crucial factor in the outcome
of a game. A few football stadiums today are "domed" and weather
would have no bearing on the outcome of the game. Clicking the mouse
on Weather displays the current weather conditions at game-time.

Clock. Managing the clock is a critical aspect of playing a good
football game. So that you can manage the clock effectively, the
clock menu is provided which allows for several options (see Figure
6). It is recommended that you select the option to have the clock
menu displayed whenever the clock is running if you are trying to
conserve time; in which case you should also tell your ball carrier
or receiver to get out of bounds to stop the clock.

TOM LANDRY STRATEGY FOOTBALL OFFENSE TIME 14:48 DOWN 2
o WASHINGTON o o o 0 0 0 0 o 0 QTR 1 TO GO 8
/ BUFFALO o o o 0 0 0 0 o 0 YDLINE BUFFALO 42

THE CLOCK IS RUNNING.

o Waste a Pass (Stops the clock, uses about 10 secs)
o No Huddle (Quick Offense, uses about 10 secs)
o Let the Clock Run (Down to About 14:08)
/ Call TIME OUT (Stops the clock)

o Players try to get Out of Bounds
/ Bring this screen up whenever the clock's running

Figure 6. Clock Screen

Scout. Selecting Scout displays the scouting reports for the offensive
units of your opponent. Each position is listed along with the
player's name and the applicable scouting report. In addition, you
may correlate the tendency for the offense/defense to call certain
plays on a particular down, including their success rate.

Subs. The Subs menu allows you to make player substitutions in the
event the starter gets hurt or needs to rest for a few plays. From
this menu you may select a backup player for any offensive or defensive
player. See Figure 7, Substitutions/

NAME L R Q F St Sp H GRADE ACCURACY AVOID INTS
QB RIPPIT 8 8 8 4 5 6 3 91 8/8/8 8/8/7
HB BOINER 9 4 7 8 6 78 ___________________
FL DUCK 6 3 5 6 6 70 | Coach: GAMBLER |
FL POPE 7 3 5 7 9 85 | Run Blocking: 8 |
LE CLAURE 8 3 6 7 7 78 | Pass Blocking: 8 |
RE JOHNS 6 3 8 6 7 75 | Penalty Pct: 8 |
|___________________|

QB RIPPIT 8 8 8 4 5 6 3 91 8/8/8 8/8/7
QB HUMMEISTER 6 7 8 6 4 5 3 85 8/8/8 6/6/5

Figure 7. Substitutions

Landry. Selecting Landry opens up to you a wealth of advice and wisdom
collected over a lifetime by the legendary coach. By clicking on
the SUGGEST button, Coach Landry gives advice on various play-calling
strategies and will even suggest an offensive or defensive play should
you need a little help in deciding on what play to call. His advice
will change as the game progresses and the situation changes.

Stats. The latest up-to-date statistics are available at any time
during the game to keep you informed.

Replay. Instant replay is a very powerful tool used by coaches,
players, officials, and fans. Selecting Replay from the command bar
enables you to control both the speed and direction of the replay.
See Figure 8, Replay.
_ _
< <|| |_| ||> > (_)
Reverse Frame Stop Frame Forward Whistle
by by (Play is over)
Frame Frame
Reverse Forward

Figure 8. Replay

Miscellaneous

Penalties. Penalties occur in all football games, sometimes unexpectedly;
the same is true in TLSF. TLSF includes all the penalties that occur
in pro football, not just a few. Some penalties are optional, whereas
others are not. During play when a penalty does occur; the referee will
come on-screen to explain the infraction. If, for example, the penalty
is against your opponent, you will be given the option of accepting or
declining the penalty. If the penalty is against you, your opponent
(human or computer) will of course choose to accept or decline the
penalty. When playing against the computer, the computer will make the
best choice for itself in regard to penalties.

Quit. This command bar option is available to you anytime before,
during, or after a game. If you select Quit before a game has started,
you will be asked the following question: This exits Tom Landry Strategy
Football. Are you SURE you wish to quit? To answer this question, you
must select YES or NO. Selecting YES quits the game and returns you to
the Football icon. Selecting NO returns you to the Main Menu.

If you select Quit after you have already begun playing a game, you
will be asked the following question: This exits the current game
and returns to the Main Menu. Are you SURE you wish to quit? Selecting
YES returns you to the Main Menu, and selecting NO returns you to the
game you are currently playing.

Load. Selecting Load takes you to an on-screen directory which shows
you the games you have previously saved. If this is your first time
to play TLSF, then there will not be any saved games on the Load
screen. But is you have played TLSF and have saved your games,
just click on any of the filenames you wish to automatically load.
The game will pick up where you left off before.

Save. Selecting Save takes you to an on-screen directory where you
may save the game you are currently playing. To save your game, click
on the first available line and give your current game a filename
so that TLSF can save the game for you to resume at a later time. The
filename that you select cannot exceed 39 characters, but it can
contain any combination of characters and spaces; e.g. Buffalo vs.
Washington.

Help. TLSF's online Help is one of the most useful features of the game.
Helpful hints and instructions on 24 major topics are contained within
the online Help menu. Online Help is available to you anytime before,
during, or after a game. To use the online Help, click on Help
located in the command bar at the bottom of your computer screen. The
Help is context-sensitive in that it gives you help concerning the
topic relevant to where you are in a particular TLSF screen or menu
action. For example, if you are currently on a Defense screen, clicking
on Help will bring up a topic in the online Help called "Defensive
Formations."

Note: To access any topic, click on the topic where you desire information
and the screen will automatically appear.

The Game is Over - What Next?

Following the completion of a game, the FINAL GAME STATS will automatically
be displayed on the screen. To view the statistics of the Visiting Team,
point and click on VISITOR. Once the visitor's stats are displayed, you
may choose to review the rushing, receiving, passing, and the total
yards. To view the Home Team's statistics, point and click on HOME.
Once your stats are displayed, you may choose to review the rushing,
receiving, passing, and the total yards.

Clicking on GO! takes you to the End of the Game screen where you may
view the scoring drives and update the season stats.

View Scoring Drives

Clicking on the VIEW SCORING DRIVES button takes you through each scoring
drive of the game. The type of score (touchdown, field goal, or safety)
is indicated at the top of the screen along with the following information:

o who scored
o in what quarter the score occurred
o the game clock time
o the number of yards covered in how many plays
o The amount of time the drive consumed.

To view each additional scoring drive, click on the Next button; to
back up and look at previous drive, click on the Prev button. During
the review of the scoring drives, you may opt to review the game film.
To do this, click on the Replay button in the command bar to review
whatever scoring drive you want. The message, Please Wait While We
Load the Film, will be displayed until the game film is ready to be shown.
At this point, the actions you need to review the film are exactly
the same as for the instant Replay.

Note: You also have the option of printing out the statistics of all
your scoring drives by clicking on the Print All Drives button. This,
of course, writes the data to a text file from which you may edit the
text in a word processor. When finished editing the file, you may
print it out on any compatible printer.

When you are finished viewing the game film of a particular scoring
drive, you may click on GO! to take you back to the End of Game screen.

If you want to save the game you just finished playing, click on the
Save button located in the command bar. Then click on the first
available numbered line on the Save screen and enter an appropriate
filename. Saving a complete game will enable you to review and replay
scoring drives. When finished, clicking on CANCEL located in the
command bar will save your game, and will return you to the End of Game
screen. From here, clicking on GO! in the command bar will take you
to the Main Menu where you may start a new game or you may choose to
exit TLSF.

Update Season Stats

Clicking this button automatically saves the game statistics to a special
file located on your hard disk. When you update season stats, the stats
are automatically added to the Current Season Stats, which you may
view the next time you play TLSF.

Note: Saving game stats, season stats, individual stats, and game
summaries: Selecting RECORD from any of these screens stores information
on your hard disk, or your floppy disk, replacing the existing file.
You can then view and print it from your favorite text editor. This is
a very nice feature to use when playing a season of football with friends.
TLSF keeps track of each game, including the game stats and scoring
drives.

Game-winning Play-calling Strategy

TLSF has a wealth of football strategy available at your fingertips.
Selecting the online Help brings up over 20 different topics to help
you develop winning strategy during the game when you need it. This
information is meant to supplement the online Help.

Football Strategy

In the early days of football, teams relied almost solely on guts.
However, as the game progressed, innovative coaches like Lombardi,
Shula, Landry, Walsh, and Gibbs have continually found ways to give the
other teams headaches. With proper understanding and use of formations -
offensive and defensive - even weaker teams can often find an edge over
stronger opponents.

The same holds true for the other components of the game. Winning
offenses use motion and misdirection, while successful defenses confuse
their opponents with shifting lines, blitzes, and different pass
coverages.

TLSF offers you all of the tools of the trade that "real" coaches use.
Your assistant coaches have scouted your opponent and you can check
their reports at anytime to recognize player strengths and weaknesses.
As the game progresses, you should check the game stats. These can
often reveal whether your opponent is focusing on a particular back or
receiver, or leaning heavily on the run or pass. They may also show
that you are over-playing your own hand and need to mix up your
plays a little bit more.

If you are playing against a computer coach, the scouting report even
tells you his offensive tendencies for different parts of the field.
Of course, those tendencies are not much use in lop-sided games, or
against human coaches.

Field Position

The football field is 100 yards from your goal line to your opponent's
goal, and where you are on the field should play a major role in your
playcalling. Most coaches break the field up into five areas.

Inside the offense's 20 is the dangerous part of the field. If you
make one mistake here, your opponent likely has at least 3 points.
Good quarterbacks will throw the ball away rather than be sacked or
force the ball into a crowd. Rarely do you see pitches, reverses, or
screens within the 20 yardline.

From the 20 up to the 35 yardline, the offense can open up, but still
has to avoid turnovers and sacks. Second and 9 isn't too bad, but
second and 15 is real tough between the 20 and 35 yardlines.

Offenses can call just about anything (playaction, misdirection, trick
plays, bombs) between the 35 yardlines. Defenses usually go with zones,
especially late in a game, but sometimes use blitzes to rattle the
offense and perhaps force a mistake or at least a wasted down.

Inside the 35 yardline, the offense is usually in field goal range,
and almost never punts. The key here is to avoid losing yards, so the
offense will call short and medium plays.

Inside the 20 yardline is the most difficult part of the field from
which to score. Pass routes must become shorter and the quarterback
must get rid of the ball quicker. It is important to try to score
either a touchdown or at least a fieldgoal every time you are within
your opponent's 20 yardline.

Passing

To have a successful passing offense, receivers must know their routes
and the quarterback must be able to hit his receivers. Nothing is more
frustrating than completing a ten yard pass on 3rd and 14. The
quarterback also must be able to read defensive formations and to call
audibles at the line of scrimmage when necessary.

The very short passes (Flare, Flat and Zoom) are designed to outwit
blitzing defenses. Short passes are used to pick up 5 to 7 yards.
Medium routes are good for 10 to 12 yards, while deep, medium, routes
can usually yield about 13 to 16 yards. Long passes are good for at
least 20 yards.

Generally, man-to-man coverage is best against short passes; 2-Deep
zones, against medium passes; and 3-Deep zones, against long passes.
However, each defensive formation has its strengths and weaknesses.
For instance, the 2-Deep zone is great against fly and corner patterns,
but weak against posts. In man-to-man coverage, the presence of a
Free Safety can make the difference between a long completion and a
deep interception (the Weak Safety is "free" if he doesn't have to
cover a receiver). Zone defenses are usually known for causing
interceptions. Man-to-man coverage allows linebackers to blitz,
which can cause loss of yards and fumbles.

Offenses can attack man-to-man coverages with long passes, especially
fly patterns and passes to backs (who are usually faster than the
linebackers trying to cover them). Also, man-to-man coverages are
usually not as good against runs, unless blitzing with Run focus.
Attack zone defenses with short passes, draws, screens and playaction
passes.

Running

The three types of runs are the power runs, bread-and-butter runs, and
finesse plays. Power runs are used to wear down a defense, or when
you need just a yard or two. The Line Plunge is the main power run.

The off-tackle runs (slants) and sweeps are your basic runs. Slants
are a little safer than sweeps, especially versus the 3-4 defense,
while sweeps have more potential for longer gains.

If the defense is over-pursuing ("keying on flow"), the offense has to
call misdirection plays - counters and traps. Traps are particularly
strong against zones and Nickel formations.

Offensive Formations

There are three basic groups of offensive formations: strong running
sets, strong passing formations, and balanced formations. Using
different sets can keep your opponent off balance. Use the strengths
of each formation, but also mix in some running from passing sets.

If you want a strong running game, especially inside, use mainly
the Pro I and Brown formations. The Brown is particularly strong for
the fullback running off the left tackle, while the I is very good
for inside runs.

For a more balanced attack, at the cost of some inside strength, use
the Pro Set and One-back offenses. Both of these sets open up the
one-back set is excellent for running counters.

If you want a wide-open game, use the Run-and-Shoot formation. This
offense spreads the defense across the field and gives the quarterback
plenty of choices for receivers. If your quarterback has a slow release,
or cannot find open receivers, plan on a lot of quarterback sacks.

The Short Yardage and Shotgun formations are specialized formations;
use them when you need them. They are particularly good for run and
pass plays.

Defensive Formations

While the offense uses formations to maximize strength, the defense
uses different sets to try to anticipate the offense's point of attack.
Different formations are stronger against plays and weaker against
others.

One of the most interesting defensive positions is that of the Free Safety.
Actually, there is no Free Safety position. Rather, there are two
defensive safeties on the field - the Strong Safety and the Weak Safety
(the names have nothing to do with their strength). The Strong Safety
is responsible for covering the Tight End in man-to-man pass coverage
or a deep zone in zones. The Weak Safety may also have an assignment.
In zone coverage, he covers a deep zone. However, in man-to-man coverage,
if all the receivers are already covered, he becomes a "free" safety.
From there, he can react to the ball and often assists on both runs
and passes. He can also be used to double-cover a receiver.

Short zone coverage gives the defense five zones approximately ten
yards beyond the line of scrimmage, and two deep zones extending to the
remainder of the field. Short zones are very tough on medium and long
passes, except posts. The deep zone set has 4 short and 3 deep zones,
which is not quite as good against medium passes, but is better against
the deep passes.

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