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Tecmo Super Bowl Draft: Defensive Big Board

By August 22, 2014June 18th, 2018No Comments
tecmo-super-bowl-draft-big-board-defense

tecmo-super-bowl-draft-big-board-defenseThe initial Bacon Sports Tecmo Super Bowl Draft Big Board was a great hit that took us back to a time when Zubaz were hot, Jeff George was slinging, and real gaming involved a control with only A and B buttons. Defensive players were initially left off the first ranking because there were so many “Tecmo Studs” that it would only be fair to give the D their own light. It should be noted the defense has an unfair advantage of not being able to get hurt, rendering them untouchable. So after much thought and with the urging of you, the Bacon Sports Nation, I had to get the defense their due.

Sit back, get your left and right thumbs ready, and picture Derrick Thomas (RIP) flexing after a sack and Gil Byrd jumping up high to snag a John Elway bomb in a crucial AFC West tilt. And most importantly, remember to talk noise to your friends after you block their extra point when Lawrence Taylor goes through the line faster than a coked up, oh wait…nevermind. Here is my Tecmo Super Bowl Draft: Defensive Big Board.

THE UNTOUCHABLES:

1. Lawrence Taylor: Simply unstoppable. Fast, explosive, disruptive, strong. He was one of about 5-10 players that did not have to grapple to tackle, could just run over someone and it was an automatic tackle.  You always had to game plan for LT, who sniffed more lines than Ron Washington. Think extra points were automatic? Think again as Taylor is the only player capable of consistently blocking an extra point.

2. Ronnie Lott: The Jerry Rice to LT’s Bo Jackson. You can easily argue Lott as the best player. Had the speed and ability to come out of nowhere like Willie Mayes Hays from center field to sack the QB and stuff the run. Possessed speed to cover the entire field and all receivers on one play. Not to mention hands of gold to pluck the ball out of the air or away from him and the ability to garner his inner Trick Daddy and take it to the house. A big reason he made the 49er’s so illegal.

Championship Game Changing Studs:

3. Derrick Thomas (RIP): The heart and soul of the Kansas City Chiefs stellar defense. Thomas simply flew to the ball like he was Lindsay Lohan on the prowl. DT always led the league in sacks and haunted you anytime you went up against him. 50 sacks in a season was a benchmark he had no problem obtaining. Blocked passes, blocked kicks, sacks, and no grapple tackles were his forte like Steve Grogan throwing the worst ball in Tecmo. Not only was DT so good, he made his entire squad better at the same time. Consistently voted a top 5 greatest Tecmo Stud, you win championships with him.

4. Bruce Smith: Not only did this stud rock shades and a gold chain better than Flava Flav, he was better than anyone on the D line in the AFC. Smith rocked the quickness and strength to rock the QB before he was out of his drop or as he looked up from the play action fake. Trying to run on Smith and Buffalo was the equivalent of trying to eat White Castle sober, just ain’t going to happen. Give me Bruce Smith and you give me a defense that can win a championship.

5. Reggie White (RIP): The Minister of Defense was godly in real life and in Tecmo. White was so good off the end that he was often in to the backfield before the play action fake and could knock the QB out before the flea flicker came back. He was so good that he even made Mike Golic effective, which is the equivalent of LeBron James making Damon Jones and Donyell Marshall relevant players. He had the speed to chase down runs, but if you played with the Eagles and let that happen, well then you just suck.

6. David Fulcher: Some are going to argue too high here, but you won’t hear it from me. Fulcher possesses speed, power, does not have to tackle, and is an absolute ball hawk making him the Lex Luger of Tecmo, the Total Package. And who doesn’t love them some Lex Luger? You hover on the receiver with Fulcher and you have even money odds of hearing the sweet sounds of a INT. Fo-Rock is a poor man’s Ronnie Lott and also has a little Christian Okoye to him as he typically sheds tacklers when returning numerous INT’s.

7. Charles Haley: A house hold name that does not get the credit he deserves. He comes off the edge quicker than Steve Phillips chasing interns. He has the speed you need in Tecmo to be an elite pass rusher and chases down a play action fake better than anyone in the game. He makes the 49ers D go up front and makes it easy for Matt Millen to make horrible draft picks get after the RB and QB. If I can’t have LT or DT I easily take Haley to get me my sacks.

Pro Bowl Franchise Player Studs

8. Wayne Haddix: Pound for pound, Haddix is one of the best corners in the game. Often overlooked because he is on arguably the worst team in Tecmo, young Wayne has a better nose for balls than Bibi Jones. You can bet your house that Haddix will be getting his INT’s the same as Dennis Green gets himself some every draft day. He is not quite as good on the pass rush side, but can get to the ball carrier with ease.

9. Mike Singletary: More a stalwart in the original Tecmo, Singletary still has it and will pull down his pants if he needs to in Tecmo Super Bowl. Side to side speed and above average cover skills are strengths of him. Playing behind space eaters like Richard Dent and the Fridge all play to Singletary’s advantage as he can still shoot the gaps and make QB’s have nightmares. The veteran leadership he provides cannot be overlooked on this freaky awesome defense.

10. Gil Byrd: Byrd Island. Byrd is the definition of shut down corner in Tecmo. You may argue that him at 8 is higher than Sam Hurd and his clients, but I beg to differ. Byrd has the quickness to stay with receivers or get off and get to the receiver across the screen or downfield. But what separates him from others is his penchant to go up high and grab the ball out of the air. Gil Byrd is the Tecmo silhouette of a d-back jumping up high to pick off a pass as Jerry West is to the NBA logo.

11. Deion Sanders: “Prime Time” is just beginning his ascension to the all-time greatest here with the red Falcons. His speed is unquestionable in helping him shut down top WR’s and covering anything and anyone in site. He can get in to disrupt QB’s but lacks strength and can get pushed off the line of scrimmage. This young red Falcons version of Prime lacks the tackling skills that keep him from being the best in the game. Even though you cannot see it, you know damn well his bandana and gold chain game is correct in Tecmo.

12. Rod Woodson: Absolute freak and terror on the defensive side of the ball. Was one of the fastest players in Tecmo, hands down. Was an absolute stud when it came to INT’s, as he is one of the best at getting the ball whether it be in the air or while covering the receiver. One of the rare d backs that actually had the speed, skill, and power to take a pick to the house. More impressive is that he played on a Steelers squad with a suspect secondary yet still put up the stats he did while offensive team’s game planned against him.

13. Mark Carrier: Carrier patrolled center field for the Bears like a boss. When focusing on the QB and run game, you felt good knowing you had Carrier in the defensive backfield to cover you in case you couldn’t get to the QB in time. He made the D from top to bottom one of the top 5 in Tecmo with his ability to cover and get to the ball quickly.

14. John Offerdahl: The real and perhaps only bright spot on the Dolphins D, Offerdahl had a penchant to get to the QB quick to avoid his secondary getting torched like Andre Rison’s house. Offerdahl was the only reason you could use the Dolphins in season mode and have a chance on D as the season went on and into the playoffs.

15. Steve Atwater: No one laid the thunder like Steve Atwater, except maybe AC/DC. Atwater had it all in a stacked Broncos d-line up. Speed, power, and was the QB of the secondary that you made sure to throw away from. Often times you would lay back in the secondary with Atwater and then lurk the QB to run and go up and take the ball with a destroying hit. And he also has one of the best jerseys ever in the Broncos NFL 75 anniversary orange jersey, stamp it.

Next Level Studs:

16. Darrel Green: The quickest man in football and Tecmo. What he lacked in ball skills, he made up for with his lightning quick speed. He could cover three receivers by himself on a pass or could return a fumble for a td without having to zig zag.

17. Rickey Johnson: A guy who I once told in person at Mardi Gras that he was a Tecmo stud. Had the ability to chase sideline to sideline, stuff the run, get after the QB, and occasionally drop into coverage. Teaming him with a trio of studs (Swilling, V. Johnson, Mills) and he becomes even better as teams can’t double or plan away from him. When you have Rickey Johnson on your team you will always laissez les bon temps rouler.

18. Junior Seau (RIP): Absolute Tazmanian Devil plays like his hair is on fire. You always find Seau around the ball and he was a sack master like a drunken sorority chick at 2 am at a frat party. As a QB when you looked into the defense and saw Seau, you had to make sure you got the football out as soon as you dropped back or you were getting crushed to the grass by him. Maybe not the biggest or fastest player on the field, Seau was indestructible and was the 2nd to last player from Tecmo to play in a real life NFL game.

19. Cortez Kennedy: The former star of ESPN Sunday Night Football commercials and Hall of Famer is a terror coming off the edge in Tecmo. He can eat space like Joey Chestnut eats wieners but can attack the line of scrimmage faster than Pacman Jones blowing through $1 million dollars in a night. An unsung force in the game that anyone would be foolish not to want on their squad.

20. Richard Johnson: A stud with the ability to spread his cover over the secondary like Spiderman throwing his spider net out. Often overlooked as he is on the Oilers who have as much talent on their roster as the high school girls Matthew McConaughey zones in on in Dazed and Confused. He is an absolute wall on the back line for a team with some of the best uniforms ever.

Bacon Sports Nation, you came strong with your reaction and comments to the Tecmo Offensive Big Board so let’s hear what you are thinking on the other side of the ball. Holla at us on Twitter @BaconSports or in the comments. As before, the best two comments will win some awesome Bacon Sports Swag to sport this summer! Holla!

 

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Tom Hamm

Tom Hamm

Cleveland sports freak living in Cincinnati who still owns an original Charlotte Hornets pullover. Obsessed with umpires strike 3 calls and ballpark nachos. Recreational games all-pro.