Front Page Sports: Football Pro `95/`96 Gameplay Tips
by Duane Carson and D'Andre Pritchett
What to look for in player stats:
When deciding which players to pull out of the draft pool onto
your team, there are many different things to consider. I have
found these to work very well.
* For a good Quarterback:
Focus on their Strength (ST), Accuracy (AC), and Agility (AG). The
other traits like hands, endurance, etc can all help, but if your
Quarterback is quick enough to avoid the tackles then endurance
becomes less of a necessity. Try to get a QB with these 3 ratings
in the 80s or 90s will help your team tremendously.
* For a Running Back:
A good running back is almost essential in this game. You will
need someone to pick up the short yards consistently to be able to
survive. Speed (SP), Agility (AG) and Strength (ST) are the 3 most
important characteristics. A strong, quick, fast running back is
hard to stop, and can usually break one or 2 tackles on the way.
* Try to get at least one or two Offensive Linesmen with a lot of
Strength (ST) and Endurance (EN), as well as one or two Wide
Receivers with good Speed (SP) and good Hands (HA). This will help
round off your offense so you wont have any read weak spots.
* For Defense, my favorite thing to do is stack the Defensive Line
with a bunch of Strong (ST), Quick (AG) Linesman. The way I look
at it, the sooner you stop them, the better. With a powerful
Defensive Line you can stop them before they can even start. Make
sure to get a few Quick (AG) Safeties and Cornerbacks to pick off
anything that gets by the front end.
General gameplay tips:
* Draft the fastest RB you can get. Speed kills and this game is
no exception. You will become more effective running the ball if
your running back can get past the linemen before he takes an
initial hit. If you are looking for a multi-faceted running back,
then the high 80's is okay for speed. If you are going for
pure-Wheels, go for the 90's.
* The big thing in the NFL nowadays is specialized players. It
works here too. Draft a possession receiver, one with solid stats,
but nothing low, hands is important here. Draft a speed reciever,
I usually go for low hands here. If the DB's logic has him cover
the fastest reciever on the field then this guy will be picked,
but if it is for the best hands, then your speed demon is free,
usually to get wide open. Finally have a slow high hands reciever.
This way he can get the catch, but at the same he is not covered
by the DB with the cover hands logic. Also note that with this
setup, you could force the DB logic to leave someone open. For
example if his DB's have 1 on #1 hands, 1 on #1 speed and one on
#2 of either, there will be some overlap because your possession
reciever is number 2 in both. You then get open running backs, or
open tight ends.
* Spread out the field. The above assumes that you are using 3 or
more recievers on passing plays. This requires a solid offensive
line, and a good quaterback. However, the rewards are a high
passing efficiency since someone is always open.
* One key to doing well in Football Pro '96 is not to play
conservative football. Take chances every once in awhile where the
game wont expect you to. If you have a 2nd down and 3, try going
for a long pass, or get real risky and try a reverse play with
your wide receiver. If you have a good running back and you have a
3rd down and 9, you might want to try a quick run from the
I-formation with one of your wide receivers in motion. The less
the game expects you to do something, the more likely you will be
to get away with it. Chances are you might get stuck on one or two
occasions, but you will also be able to get that 1st down when you
least expect it, or gain an extra 20 yards on the play.
* With a good Running back on the team, my favorite choices for a
coaching profile and game plan are OFFRB1.PRF, OFFRB1.PLN,
DEFRB1.PRF, and DEFRB1.PLN. Try using these profiles and plans on
a team with a strong running back, and you will find many plays
that work well with your team.
