NES Play Action Football FAQ
Version 1.1
By chessjerk (John Kearsley IV)
Created - June 2, 2007
Updated - February 18, 2012
Questions? Comments? Contact me:
[email protected]
===============================================================================
Welcome to my NES Play Action Football FAQ. This football game has been around
for a while, and despite some inherent problems with poor player movements,
it's still a fun game. Enjoy!
===============================================================================
Table of Contents:
===============================================================================
I. The Object of the Game
II. Controls
III. Main Menu
IV. The Teams
a. Los Angeles Rams
b. San Francisco 49ers
c. Miami Dolphins
d. Chicago Bears
e. Denver Broncos
f. Washington Redskins
g. New York Giants
h. Houston Oilers
V. Scoring
VI. Playing the Game
VII. Strategies
VIII. Credits/Disclaimer
IX. Version History
===============================================================================
I. The Object of the Game
===============================================================================
It's pretty simple. Score more points than your opponent. It doesn't get much
simpler than that, right?
===============================================================================
II. Controls
===============================================================================
In the menus:
Select - change options
Start - select an option
In between plays:
Start - pause
B + A - go to the next page of plays available
On offense:
B (as quarterback) + left/right/up - throw the ball in the direction pressed
B (as receiver with the ball) - dive in the direction facing
B (as receiver without the ball) - jump in the air
A (any player) - gain a small speed boost
On defense:
B (standing still) - jump in the air
B + any direction - dive in the direction pressed
A (any player) - gain a small speed boost
B + A - switch to the closest player to the football
===============================================================================
III. Main Menu
===============================================================================
The following options are on the main menu:
1P vs. COMP - One player plays a single game against the computer.
1P vs. 1P - Two players play a single game against each other.
2P vs. COMP - Two players play a single game against the computer.
2P vs. 2P - Four players play a single game against each other, with two
players on each team. (requires a Four Score or similar adaptor
that allows four controllers to be used simultaneously)
1P PLAYOFFS - One player chooses a team and plays each of the other teams in
the league in succession. This method of play features passwords
that allow a player to save and pick up play at a later date.
For single games against the computer, you can select the difficulty from Level
1 (easiest) to Level 4 (hardest).
After the selections are made, the teams are chosen. If you are playing the
computer, you also select what team the computer will be using. The teams are:
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Miami Dolphins
Chicago Bears
Denver Broncos
Washington Redskins
New York Giants
Houston Oilers
===============================================================================
IV. The Teams
===============================================================================
Here is a list of the players and their statistics for each team. Stats are
rated from 1 (worst) to 5 (best). Players marked with a * are the backups, so
if a player gets injured or has lost a lot of energy, you need to replace them
with someone else. Some positions do not have backups, so players in these
positions will never get injured. As the game progresses, if you use a
particular player too often, his energy will decrease, as will his
effectiveness. Substitute fresh players in for tired players when necessary.
Players on the bench slowly regain their energy as they rest.
The different stats are as follows:
Speed - A player's running speed
Pass - A quarterback's throwing ability
Power - A running back's ability to shake off tackles
Hands - A receiver/defender's ability to catch/knock away/intercept passes
Block - A lineman's ability to block the other teams' players
Accur - A kicker's accuracy with his kicks
Tackl - A defender's ability to tackle the ball-carrier
And now, the teams:
===============================================================================
a. Los Angeles Rams
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
11 Everett 5 5
09 Herrman* 4 3
Running Backs Speed Power
24 McGee 5 5
42 Bell 4 4
39 Delpino* 4 4
43 Gary* 4 3
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
80 Ellard 5 5
83 Anderson 4 5
84 Cox* 4 3
89 Brown* 3 4
Tight Ends Speed Hands
86 Johnson 5 4
81 Holohan* 3 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
75 Pankey 3 4
66 Newberry 4 5
56 Smith 3 4
61 Slaton 3 5
78 Slater 4 4
Kicker Power Accur
01 Lansford 4 3
Punter Power Accur
05 Hatcher 3 5
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
93 Reed 3 4
99 Wright 3 5
95 Piel 4 5
Linebackers Speed Tackl
52 Kelm 5 5
91 Greene 5 4
59 Jerue 4 4
54 Wilcher 4 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
25 Gray 4 5
28 Hicks 5 5
Safeties Speed Hands
22 Newsome 4 4
23 Stewart 5 4
26 Newman* 3 4
47 Irvin* 4 3
===============================================================================
b. San Francisco 49ers
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
16 Montana 5 5
08 Young* 4 4
Running Backs Speed Power
33 Craig 5 5
42 Rathman 5 4
23 Tillman* 4 3
32 Flagler* 3 4
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
82 Taylor 5 5
85 Wilson 5 5
83 Greer* 3 4
88 Sherrard* 3 3
Tight Ends Speed Hands
84 Jones 5 5
81 Williams* 4 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
77 Paris 4 5
62 McIntyre 3 4
61 Sapolu 3 4
69 Collie 4 4
79 Barton 3 5
Kicker Power Accur
06 Cofer 5 5
Punter Power Accur
09 Helton 5 4
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
78 Holt 3 4
95 Carter 3 5
75 Fagen 3 5
Linebackers Speed Tackl
94 Haley 4 5
54 Millen 4 4
58 Turner 5 4
99 Walter 5 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
22 McKyer 4 5
29 Griffin 4 5
Safeties Speed Hands
31 Brooks 5 5
42 Lott 5 5
40 Jackson* 3 3
26 Pollard* 4 3
===============================================================================
c. Miami Dolphins
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
13 Marino 5 5
09 Secules* 4 4
Running Backs Speed Power
25 Logan 5 5
33 Smith 4 4
27 Hampton* 3 3
36 Brown* 3 4
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
83 Clayton 5 5
85 Duper 5 4
82 Brown* 3 4
86 Banks* 3 3
Tight Ends Speed Hands
80 Edmunds 4 5
87 Hardy* 4 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
65 Dellenbach 3 4
61 Foster 4 3
63 Uhlenhake 3 4
62 Galbreath 3 4
74 Dennis 4 5
Kicker Power Accur
10 Stoyanovich 3 5
Punter Power Accur
04 Roby 5 3
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
95 Turner 3 5
70 Sochia 3 4
91 Cross 4 4
Linebackers Speed Tackl
55 Green 4 4
54 Junior 5 4
58 Krauss 4 4
56 Offerdahl 5 5
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
44 Lankford 4 5
49 Judson 5 4
Safeties Speed Hands
25 Oliver 5 5
26 Williams 4 4
29 Hobley* 3 3
37 Brown* 4 3
===============================================================================
d. Chicago Bears
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
18 Tomczak 5 5
04 Harbaugh* 5 3
Running Backs Speed Power
25 Muster 5 5
35 Anderson 5 5
20 Sanders* 4 3
26 Suhey* 3 4
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
82 Davis 4 5
29 Gentry 5 4
84 Morris* 4 3
85 McKinnon* 4 4
Tight Ends Speed Hands
80 Thornton 5 4
86 Boso* 3 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
74 Covert 3 5
57 Thayer 4 4
63 Hilgenberg 3 4
62 Bortz 4 5
78 Van Horne 4 5
Kicker Power Accur
06 Butler 4 3
Punter Power Accur
09 Buford 4 4
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
95 Dent 3 5
76 McMichael 3 5
99 Hampton 4 4
Linebackers Speed Tackl
51 Morrissey 5 4
50 Singletary 5 5
59 Rivera 5 4
93 Armstrong 4 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
24 Jackson 5 4
37 Douglass 4 5
Safeties Speed Hands
22 Duerson 5 5
23 Gayle 4 5
43 Lywch* 3 4
49 Tate* 4 3
===============================================================================
e. Denver Broncos
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
07 Elway 5 5
08 Kubiak* 4 3
Running Backs Speed Power
26 Humphrey 5 5
32 Bratton 5 5
23 Winder* 3 3
30 Sewell* 4 3
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
80 Jackson 5 5
82 Johnson 5 5
83 Young* 4 3
84 Nattiel* 3 3
Tight Ends Speed Hands
88 Kay 5 4
89 Mobley* 4 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
60 Perry 3 5
66 Juriga 4 4
72 Kartz 4 4
67 Widell 3 4
76 Lanier 4 5
Kicker Power Accur
03 Treadwell 4 3
Punter Power Accur
02 Horan 3 5
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
61 Townsend 4 4
71 Kragen 3 5
92 Carreker 3 4
Linebackers Speed Tackl
77 Mecklenburg 5 5
73 Fletcher 4 5
55 Dennison 4 4
56 Brooks 5 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
34 Braxton 4 4
24 Henderson 5 4
Safeties Speed Hands
49 Smith 5 5
27 Atwater 4 5
48 Robbins* 4 4
25 Corrington* 4 3
===============================================================================
f. Washington Redskins
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
11 Rypien 5 5
17 Williams* 4 4
Running Backs Speed Power
37 Riggs 5 5
22 Morris 5 5
21 Byner* 4 4
30 Mickles* 3 3
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
81 Monk 5 4
84 Clark 5 4
83 Sanders* 4 3
80 Howard* 3 4
Tight Ends Speed Hands
85 Warren 5 4
86 Tice* 3 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
76 Simmons 3 5
63 McKenzie 4 5
53 Bostic 3 4
69 Schlereth 3 4
79 Lachey 4 4
Kicker Power Accur
08 Lohmiller 3 4
Punter Power Accur
04 Mojsiejenko 3 4
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
60 Stokes 3 4
99 Rocker 3 5
71 Mann 4 4
Linebackers Speed Tackl
58 Marshall 4 5
50 Caldwell 5 5
91 Manusky 4 4
77 Grant 4 5
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
28 Green 4 5
45 Wilburn 5 5
Safeties Speed Hands
40 Walton 5 4
23 Bowles 5 5
31 Vaughn* 3 4
20 Welch* 4 3
===============================================================================
g. New York Giants
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
11 Simms 5 5
15 Hostetler* 4 4
Running Backs Speed Power
44 Carthon 5 5
20 Morris 4 4
30 Meggett* 4 3
24 Anderson* 3 3
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
86 Manuel 5 5
82 Ingram 4 4
85 Baker* 4 3
83 Turner* 3 3
Tight Ends Speed Hands
89 Bavaro 5 5
84 Mowatt* 4 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
72 Riesenberg 3 5
60 Moore 3 4
65 Oats 3 4
68 Johnson 3 3
66 Roberts 4 5
Kicker Power Accur
03 Nittmo 3 4
Punter Power Accur
05 Landeta 4 3
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
70 Marshall 3 5
74 Howard 3 4
77 Dorsey 4 4
Linebackers Speed Tackl
52 Johnson 4 4
58 Banks 5 5
56 Taylor 5 5
55 Reasons 5 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
25 Collins 4 5
23 Williams 4 4
Safeties Speed Hands
48 Hill 5 4
43 Kinard 5 5
39 White* 4 3
37 Haddix* 3 3
===============================================================================
h. Houston Oilers
===============================================================================
Offense:
Quarterbacks Speed Pass
01 Moon 5 5
14 Carlson* 4 4
Running Backs Speed Power
30 Rozier 5 5
32 Highsmith 4 5
20 Pinkett* 4 3
44 White* 4 4
Wide Receivers Speed Hands
81 Givins 4 4
85 Hill 5 5
84 Jeffires* 3 4
80 Duncan* 3 4
Tight Ends Speed Hands
87 Mrosko 5 4
88 Verhulst* 4 3
Offensive Line Speed Block
77 Davis 3 4
63 Munchak 4 4
52 Pennison 4 4
74 Matthews 3 4
70 Steinkuhler 4 5
Kicker Power Accur
07 Zendejas 5 4
Punter Power Accur
09 Montgomery 4 4
Defense:
Linemen Speed Block
71 Byrd 3 4
99 Smith 4 4
79 Childress 3 5
Linebackers Speed Tackl
93 Lyles 4 5
59 Grimsley 5 5
54 Smith 4 4
91 Meads 4 4
Cornerbacks Speed Tackl
24 Brown 5 5
29 Allen 4 5
Safeties Speed Hands
25 McDowell 5 4
31 Donaldson 4 4
21 Eaton* 4 4
22 Johnson* 4 4
===============================================================================
V. Scoring
===============================================================================
There are 4 ways to score points:
Touchdown: If a player with the ball gets into the opponent's end zone, that
player's team scores 6 points.
Extra Point: After scoring a touchdown, that team kicks a 20-yard or so field
goal for 1 additional point.
Field Goal: At any time (usually on 4th down or near the end of a half) a team
can opt to kick the ball through the goal posts. If successful,
they score 3 points, or else they turn the ball over to the
opponents. Be wary of the skill of your kicker, however, as field
goals over 30 yards away are very difficult to make if you have a
kicker with poor stats.
Safety: If a player with the ball is tackled inside his own end zone, the
opposing team scores 2 points, and the defending team also
receives the ball via a kickoff from the 20 yard line.
===============================================================================
VI. Playing the Game
===============================================================================
Before the game starts, a coin is tossed. Whoever wins the toss receives the
ball first in the first half; whoever loses the toss receives the ball first in
the second half.
To kickoff, press A to stop the arrow moving side to side, then press A again
to stop the power meter as it increases and decreases. If you kick the ball out
of bounds, it is a 5-yard penalty and you must re-kick (in other words, you
normally kick off from your 35 yard line, if your first kickoff goes out of
bounds, you would kickoff again from your 30 yard line).
If the kickoff is going to land in bounds, the receiver is automatically placed
to receive the ball as it lands. If it is kicked into the endzone, the receiver
has the option of kneeling down (press B to do so) for a "touchback", which
takes the ball out to the 20 yard line, or the receiver can bring the kickoff
out himself and advance as far as he can before being tackled.
The kicking team also can perform what is called an "onside kick". This
involves kicking the ball to one side or the other with very little power. If
the ball is kicked very softly, a receiver is not automatically placed to
receive it. If the kicking team recovers the kick, then the kicking team keeps
possession of the ball.
Now, the offense and defense can select plays to run. At the top, the options
"Offense", "Time Out", and "Substitution" are available. "Offense" leads to a
menu of plays to select, "Time Out" calls a time out and stops the clock (each
team gets three time outs per half), "Substitution" allows you to bring in new
players if your current ones are getting tired.
Each screen of plays has eight plays on it, one for each combination of a
direction and A or B. Press B + A together to move to the next page of plays.
Once a play is selected, the defense gets its turn to select plays, call time
out, and make substitutions. After that is done, the players line up. Press A
to snap the ball, and the play starts.
Each team has 30 seconds to select their plays and make substitutions, unless a
"time out" has been called, in which case the teams can take as long as they
like to make their selections. If the offense takes longer than 30 seconds, a
"delay of game" penalty will be called, and the offense will be forced back
five yards (without a loss of a down). If the defense takes longer than 30
seconds, a defensive formation will be chosen at random, and the play will
begin.
The offense has four plays, or "downs" to advance the ball ten yards, or else
they turn the ball over to the defense. As a general rule, if you do not
advance ten yards in the first three plays, you should either kick a field goal
(if you are in range) or punt the ball to the opponent. Punting gives the ball
to the opposing team, but much further downfield than if you were to turn the
ball over on downs.
There are four quarters in a game, with each quarter lasting 15 minutes,
although time advances very quickly, so it's probably about five minutes of
real time per quarter. At the end of the second quarter, the teams rest up
during halftime, and then whoever lost the opening coin toss will receive the
kickoff, regardless who held the ball at the end of the first half. Whoever has
scored the most points at the end of the fourth quarter is the winner.
===============================================================================
VII. Strategies
===============================================================================
- Generally, running the ball is easier to accomplish, but gains less yards,
while passing the ball is harder, but has the potential for big plays. Know
your team's strengths and utilize them as best you can.
- On offense, watch the defense's formation for the potential exploitation of
weaknesses. For instance, if you see a lot of players bunched up at the line of
scrimmage and you have a pass selected, try to pass as quick as possible, since
someone is bound to be open, and let them run free.
- On defense, if the screen zooms out after the ball is snapped, it is a pass
play, if not, it is a running play. This will help you know whether to cover
receivers or rush in to tackle a running back.
- If the computer lines up for a field goal or a punt and you do not see an
arrow for the direction of the kick, watch out! It is a fake punt or field
goal, so be ready for it.
- When trying to defend a pass play, stay back and cover receivers and let your
computer controlled linemen rush the quarterback. If you see a lineman closing
in, quickly switch to him and tackle the quarterback for an easy sack.
- If you are running downfield and the defense is about to tackle you, remember
you can dive forward at the last second to get those extra one or two yards
before being tackled.
===============================================================================
VIII. Credits and Disclaimer
===============================================================================
This FAQ is copyright 2007/2012 by John Kearsley IV. This FAQ may be
distributed freely as long as it is not altered and I am credited for its
existence.
Thanks go to everyone else involved with the NES FAQ Completion Project, of
which I am proud to be a part. Also, thanks go to GameFAQs.com and SBAllen for
hosting a great site. Keep up the good work!
===============================================================================
IX. Version History
===============================================================================
Version 1.0 - Original FAQ submitted
Version 1.1 - Minor spelling/formatting changes
