NFL Blitz

		 Cheat Codes:

Onside kick -- After a score, press Up + Turbo + Jump + Pass.
Extra blocker -- While you "hike" the ball, press Turbo + Jump + Pass.

Hide play cursor -- On the play selection screen, press up(2) on the top right play.

On the "versus" screen, press Turbo, Jump, and Pass to change icons on the helmets. The following numbers indicate, how many times the button should be pressed. When the icon has changed, press the D-pad or the Analogue-stick in the apointed direction to activate the code. If this has been done right, you´ll hear the codes name and a sound.

For instance, to type in the code "1-2-3 Left", press Turbo, Jump(2), Pass(3), Left.  More than one code can be activated a game.

·  2-5-0 Left ?- Quick plays

·  1-2-3 Left -- Super field goal

·  2-1-1 Left -- Allows "stepping out of bounds"

·  3-1-2 Left -- Power-up blockers

·  5-0-0 Left -- Turns stadium off

·  0-1-0 Up -- Late hits

·  0-4-0 Up -- Big heads

·  2-1-0 Up -- No first downs

·  3-4-4 Up -- No interceptions

·  1-5-1 Up -- No punting

·  4-3-3 Up -- Invisible

·  5-1-4 Up -- Lasting turbo

·  0-4-5 Up -- Super blitz

·  2-3-3 Up -- Power-up teammates

·  3-1-2 Up -- Power-up offense

·  4-2-1 Up -- Power-up defense

·  0-3-0 Down -- Fog on

·  0-4-1 Down -- Thick fog on

·  0-0-1 Down -- Shows field goal %

·  4-2-3 Down -- No random fumbles

·  1-0-2 Right -- Hide recievers name

·  0-5-0 Right -- Big Ball

·  3-1-0 Right -- Team small players

·  1-4-1 Right -- Team huge players

·  2-0-3 Right -- Team huge heads

·  2-0-0 Right -- Huge heads

·  5-5-5 Up -- Hyper blitz [Note 1]

·  1-1-5 Left -- No play selection [Note 1]

·  0-2-1 Right -- Shows more field [Note 1]

·  0-1-2 Down -- No CPU assistance [Note 1]

·  4-0-4 Left -- Power-up speed [Note 1]

·  3-1-4 Down -- Smart CPU oponent [Note 2]

·  1-1-1 Down -- Tournament mode [Note 3]

·  2-2-2 Right -- Night game

·  2-1-2 Left -- Weather: clear

·  5-2-5 Down -- Weather: snow

·  5-5-5 Right -- Weather: rain

·  3-3-3 Left -- Invisible reciever highlight

·  0-3-2 Left -- Fast turbo running

·  3-2-1 Left -- No heads

·  1-2-3 Right -- Headkless team
Note 1: Two player deal demanded.
Note 2: Only in one-player game.
Note 3: Only in two-player game.

Powerups:

·  021R -- SHOW MORE FIELD (AGREE IF 2 PLAYERS) 

·  200R -- BIG HEAD

·  203R -- TEAM BIG HEADS

·  141R -- TEAM BIG PLAYERS

·  310R -- TEAM TINY PLAYERS

·  050R -- BIG FOOTBALL

·  102R -- HIDE RECEIVER NAME

·  555R -- WEATHER: RAIN

·  222R -- NIGHT GAME

·  123R -- HEADLESS TEAM

·  223R -- ULIMITED THROW DISTANCES

·  423R -- SUPER PASSING (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  012D -- NO CPU ASSISTANCE (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  423D -- NO RANDOM FUMBLES

·  314D -- SMART CPU OPPONENT (IN A 1 PLAYER GAME)

·  001D -- SHOW FIELD GOAL %

·  525D -- WEATHER: SNOW

·  522D -- UNIDENTIFIED BALL CARRIER

·  312U -- POWERUP OFFENSE

·  421U -- POWERUP DEFENSE

·  233U -- POWERUP TEAMMATES

·  045U -- SUPER BLITZING

·  514U -- INFINITE TURBO

·  151U -- NO PUNTING

·  344U -- NO INTERCEPTIONS

·  210U -- NO FIRST DOWNS

·  040U -- HUGE HEAD

·  010U -- LATE HITS

·  555U -- HYPER BLITZ (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  433U -- INVISIBLE

·  111U -- CLEAR TOURNAMENT MODE (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  444U -- SUPER BLITZ (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  500L -- TURN OFF STADIUM

·  115L -- NO PLAY SELECTION (AGREE IF 2 PLAYERS)

·  250L -- FAST PASSES

·  032L -- FAST TURBO RUNNING

·  404L -- POWERUP SPEED (2 PLAYER AGREEMENT)

·  312L -- POWERUP BLOCKERS

·  211L -- ALLOW STEPPING OB

·  123L -- SUPER FIELD GOALS

·  321L -- NO HEAD

·  212L -- WEATHER: CLEAR

·  333L -- INVISIBLE RECVR HIGHLIGHT

·  555R -- WEATHER: RAIN

Secret Head Codes:

·  1111 -- BRAIN 

·  1111 -- SKULL

·  1111 -- THUG

·  8337 -- SHINOK

·  0526 -- BILLZ

·  1221 -- ZZ

·  5651 -- JIMK

·  1112 -- MARKA

·  3246 -- ED

·  1122 -- TODD

·  4393 -- MITCH

·  5158 -- JOHN

·  4288 -- JOSH

·  1029 -- RYAN

·  7761 -- BETH

·  0818 -- BRIAN

·  2220 -- GRINCH

·  0517 -- PAULO

·  7777 -- LT

·  4440 -- NICO

·  0322 -- TURMEL

·  0604 -- DANIEL

·  3141 -- JASON

·  1234 -- VAN

·  6660 -- JAPPLE

·  3333 -- JENIFR

·  1111 -- GENTIL

·  3333 -- LUIS

·  6000 -- ROOT

·  0201 -- SAL

·  1111 -- FORDEN

·  1111 -- CARLTN

·  3333 -- MIKE

·  1111 -- GATSON

·  6765 -- GUIDO

·  8148 -- ROG

·  1836 -- MONTY

·  0530 -- SHUN

·  0310 -- GENE

·  0425 -- PAULA

·  6969 -- DBN

Codes:

To Activate Type In At Name Screen:

Secret Characters:

·  Raiden -- 3691

·  Shinok -- 8337

·  Brain -- 1111

·  Skull -- 1111

·  Thug -- 1111

To Ativate Type In At Match Up Screen:

·  No Interseptions -- 3-4-4 Then Press Up On JoyStick

·  Fast Passing -- 2-5-0 Left

·  Infinet Turbos -- 5-1-4 Up

NFL Blitz FAQ

Table of Contents
I. Intro
II. Revision History
III. Stuff you need to know
IV. Offense
V. Defense
VI. Situational
VII. Conclusion

I. Introduction

Hello, football fans! Welcome to my FAQ for the best arcade football 
game currently on the market. It's about time someone made a really 
great arcade football game. I was tired of seeing them made by Japanese 
guys who know very little about the game of football (witness Rushing 
Heroes, Football Fury, et al). My deepest gratitude goes to the folks 
at Midway.

So what's in this FAQ? Basically, it's a bunch of strategies that I 
have formulated after watching and playing many games of NFL Blitz. 
Yes, even though this is an arcade football game, that doesn't mean 
there's no strategy. I was inspired to write this because I was tired 
of watching player after player do nothing but throw long bombs and 
blitz everyone every time. So I have come up with strategies that 
emphasize the primary things needed to win football games, that is, 
stuff like ball control, coverage, and play selection. All of these 
strategies are strictly my opinion, so if you don't like them, fine. 
Everyone is entitled to their own strategy, and in fact I encourage you 
to invent your own or tinker with mine. I wrote this to help out 
beginners looking for direction and perhaps give seasoned veterans new 
weapons in their arsenal. This is by no means the "official" 
strategy, or that no other is as good. In fact, I still consider myself 
only an adequate NFL Blitz player (although I am familiar with Madden 
and all those other great home football games). Once again, you are 
encouraged to come up with your own game plan. If you need some help 
getting started though, allow me to try to assist you.


II. Revision History

Version 1.2 - Added some minor strategies for passing, blitzing, and 
kick returns, thanks to some thought-provoking questions asked by 
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Version 1.1 - Added some strategies for offense, defense, and especially 
situational. Many situational strategies were sent to me by Miguel 
Gomez. Also, I forgot to include a whole section I wanted to put in the 
first release! That section is about when to go for 2, and it's in the 
Situational section now.

Version 1.0 - First release. Many strategies for offense, defense, and 
situational, as well as the "Stuff you need to know" section.


III. Stuff you need to know 

NFL Blitz is different from most football games. The most obvious 
difference is the fact that each side has only seven players! And three 
of those seven players are anonymous down linemen who have little impact 
on the game. So it boils down to a four-on-four matchup. Note that no 
one really has a "position" (except for the QB). For example, Emmitt 
Smith is not strictly a running back, nor is Jerry Rice just a wide 
receiver. It's more like everyone is just a "player", that is, all 
the offensive guys can run, catch passes, and pass themselves, and all 
the defensive players are crosses between pash rushers, linebackers, and 
defensive backs. Realizing this is important.

More differences include two-minute quarters and 30 yards for a first 
down. If you want to make an analogy between this game and real 
football, imagine that three yards in this game is one in the NFL. So 
in this game, third and 15 is kind of like third and 5 in real life. It 
is quite easy to accumulate yardage in this game, so you'll often find 
higher-scoring games than those of the NFL itself. Defense takes a 
backseat in many players' minds, but it is very important. As the old 
cliche goes: "Defense wins championships."

Each team is rated in five categories: Passing, Rushing, Linemen, 
Special Teams, and Defense. They are rated in these categories on a 
scale of 0 to 5, 5 being best. Using these ratings, the best teams are 
Dallas, Denver, Green Bay, and New England. Needless to say, they are 
also the most popular teams in this game (at least around here, they are 
:) ).

On offense, you have two pages of nine plays each to choose from. They 
all look like passing plays, but some of them have a guy staying behind 
the line of scrimmage as a kind of "safety" receiver. Note that if 
someone catches the ball behind the line and then runs upfield, it is a 
run. When someone catches the ball beyond the line, it is a pass.

On defense, there are nine plays, a mixture of blitzes and zones. 
Unfortunately, I see far too many people blitzing constantly with too 
many players at once. It is important to follow the play as it is 
designed. Failure to do so probably will cause you to get burned.


You have no control over punts, except choosing to do it, of course. So 
that means where and how far the punt goes is totally random, which 
kinda sucks if you wanted to try the "coffin corner" strategy. On 
field goals, you control only the accuracy by trying to stop a football-
shaped icon in the center of a bar-shaped meter. (This is kind of like 
shooting free throws in NBA Live if you're familiar with that game.) 
You have no control over kickoffs, and I've yet to see a touchback on a 
kickoff, so there will always be a kick return. I've never seen a score 
on a kick return, partially because you'll run out of turbo before you 
reach the end zone, so don't worry too much about that. To get good 
yardage on kick returns, sometimes it's better to run straight up the 
field. If there's a lot of people around, your man will go into the 
"bull charge" pose, which is effective at knocking away tacklers. And 
when defending kick returns, the computer is usually very reliable and 
will run straight up the field, setting him for a head-on diving tackle.


IV. Offense

Ah yes, that part of the game almost everyone loves, the offense. 
Spectacular plays, hail mary passes, whatever you will. Sadly, again I 
see a lot of people trying nothing but those passes. (Forgive me if I'm 
sounding repetitive.) It is important to realize that a sound running 
and short passing game is often far more effective than those long 
bombs. Yes, it may be mundane, but I find it works for me for scoring 
consistently. One of the dangers of long passes is throwing into 
coverage. In this game, throwing into coverage often causes the ball to 
be tipped in the air (in a manner reminiscent of NFL GameDay), up for 
grabs. Often the CPU will come down with the ball, causing an 
interception, or they will at least knock the ball away, forcing an 
incomplete. 

The best kind of plays to run are those that give you a safety option. 
What I mean by that is that there is somebody behind the line of 
scrimmage besides the QB who can bail him out with a short reception if 
no one is open downfield, or if a hard-charging defensive player is 
trying to blitz the QB. Such plays as these include "Back Split", 
"Screen", "Criss Cross", and "Turmoil." You'll notice that Back 
Split gives two safety options, one to either side. You might also 
notice that the plays I just mentioned are all on Page 1 of the 
playbook. I find that knowing just a few plays works well than trying 
to know all 18. Many of them are similar to each other anyway ("Da 
Bomb" and "Hail Mary" for example). Of course, you might endeavor to 
learn more than three, but they are good ones to learn first. When you 
choose a play, try to choose one that does not have receivers crossing 
over each other. It is possible to get confused as to which direction 
to press for each receiver. Also, if receivers are clustered together 
on one side of the field, it is easier for the defense to cover them, so 
try to choose a play that has your guys spread out all over the field. 

Also take advantage of play-flipping. The blue button flips the play, 
so that a guy who would be running left is now running right, and vice 
versa. You want to run plays to the wide side of the field, so that a 
receiver has more room to avoid defenders. Remember that the ball is 
snapped on the hash mark closest to where the ball carrier was tackled 
on the previous play (except of course, if he was tackled in the middle 
of the field). 

Before you snap the ball, take a second to look over the defense. All 
teams in this game have the same playbook, so knowing your plays will 
enable you to identify what type of defense has been called. You can 
often tell right away if it's a zone or a blitz with man-to-man 
coverage. Knowing that it is a blitz should alert you to get rid of the 
ball very quickly, which is why having plays with safety options is 
important. Also, if you know which man is going to blitz, and one of 
your receivers will be in his section of field, you can pass to that 
receiver who will probably be wide open. If it's a zone, your downfield 
receivers will most likely be covered, and running the ball is a bit 
more difficult. Running the ball to the wide side of the field in that 
situation enables you to have a bit more room to avoid, stiff-arm, 
hurdle, and otherwise bypass defenders.

Once you snap the ball, execute the play as planned. If you see a blitz 
coming, pass to your safety guy. You can also try scrambling to the 
side of the field away from the blitzer to give yourself a bit more time 
to spot an open man. If you have time to throw (i.e. no blitz from the 
defense), look over the coverage and pass to the open man. If no one is 
open downfield, don't throw it into the coverage and risk an 
interception. Pass it to the safety option (that's what he's there 
for). However, you may even find at times that everyone is covered, so 
in that situation have your QB run the ball himself. Often the defense 
isn't expecting it and your man can gain decent yardage. This is most 
effective when the defenders are in a medium-to-deep zone and are far 
away from the line of scrimmage. The QB can often gain 10-15 yards 
before a defender is anywhere near him.

When controlling the ball carrier, take advantage of the moves at your 
disposal. In my opinion, the most useful is the stiff-arm. Many times 
it is effective at throwing off a would-be tackler. It won't always 
work, but that's okay. When using the hurdle, only use it when 
defenders are coming up from behind you or you need a bit more yardage 
to get that first down or touchdown. Don't try to hurdle over someone 
in your way, it doesn't work. The spin move is also sometimes effective 
at barrelling through defenders, but it increases the risk of fumbles, 
so it should be used sparingly. Trying to run around or change 
direction generally does not work too well in this game, although 
sidestepping a defender that is charging and ready to do a flying tackle 
works well if you can time it right.

If it turns out that you can't move the ball well this possession and 
fourth down comes up, don't automatically go for it like so many players 
do. Instead, assess the situation. If you're in your own territory, 
punting is a wise idea, even if you only have a few yards to go. Going 
on fourth down is always a risk and if you fail in your own territory, 
you're going to leave your opponent with an excellent scoring 
opportunity. If you're in your opponent's territory, consider the field 
goal. They are pretty easy to do and three points is always better than 
none. The times when you might not want to try the field goal is if you 
have fourth and very short or you're down by a touchdown late in the 
game. 

In certain situations, the best thing to do is try to make a long, 
methodical drive to eat up the clock. You would most likely do this 
when you are ahead late in the game, or if scoring would put you ahead. 
For example, if it's 21-21 with 1:30 left and you get the ball, you 
don't want to score but then leave your opponent with ample time to come 
back and respond. This is when ball control, and the short game, is 
important. Don't go for big plays. If you can slowly work your way 
down the field and score, you're going to put your opponent in a very 
desperate situation.

Finally, mix up your plays! Don't run the same one over and over again. 
Even the dumbest of opponents would catch on to that. However, it's 
okay to run the same types of plays (like the short passing ones), since 
I mentioned earlier that many plays are similar. That way you can use 
different formations to keep your opponent guessing, especially if you 
throw in a different type of play every so often (like throwing a long 
pass after a series of runs).


V. Defense

Defense is probably the most important aspect of football. It is often 
overlooked by players who just want to have a wide-open high-scoring 
game. While it's okay to have a good time, to elevate your game to the 
next level, you must play great defense. And defense is about more than 
just blitzing. It's about coverage, showing the QB different looks, and 
knowing exactly how the play is supposed to be run. 

One of the most common things I see players do is blitz too much. While 
it may be exciting, blitzing is a gamble. In essence, what it does is 
take a defender out of coverage so he can force the QB to make quick 
decisions. Unfortunately, if he is capable of those decisions, he will 
most likely burn the other team for a big gain. While an occasional 
blitz is not wrong, blitzing constantly with too many players at once is 
wrong.

If you're having trouble understanding why blitzing is dangerous (for 
you), look at this reasoning. You have four defenders. The offensive 
team has three receivers. That means you have four people to cover 
three guys. Usually in that case, the QB won't find anyone open, and 
the play won't get much, if any, yardage. Now look at what happens when 
you start blitzing. One of the first things to know about blitzing is 
that you will have man-to-man coverage instead of a zone, so each 
defender is going to have to follow his man like white on rice. That's 
not always such a good idea (would you want a linebacker against Jerry 
Rice?). Blitzing one man makes it three against three. That can be 
managed, but it's dangerous. Blitzing two men or more automatically 
puts you at a disadvantage. The offensive team will have more receivers 
than you have defenders, which means someone will be wide open. If the 
quarterback sees it quickly enough, you will get burned. Note that one 
of the plays is a "Zone Blitz" (a current fad in the NFL), but again, 
it blitzes two guys, leaving you with a two on three.

A good play selection consists of zones, and possibly man coverage 
(without a blitz). "Medium Zone" and "Near Zone" are two of the most 
effective. "Safe Cover" is another good play. "Deep Zone" is useful 
for situations where you know your opponent has to make a long pass. 
"Goal Line" is only useful when your opponent is within your 10 yard 
line. An occasional "1 Man Blitz" might also be a good tactic, but as 
I can't stress enough, don't overdo it.

When you select your play, follow it as it's drawn up! The biggest 
mistake I see players make is bringing the guy they're controlling right 
up to the line of scrimmage before the play to rush the QB when he's 
supposed to be in a zone. This takes that man out of coverage and 
leaves his section of field wide open. On zone plays, many times the 
defender you control is supposed to stand there and read the play as it 
develops. If a receiver enters your zone, cover him. However you can 
select plays so that one of the defenders is supposed to blitz. On 
these plays, bring that defender right up to the line, but a short 
distance to the side of the linemen. That way, he won't get tangled up 
with them, and has a clear path to pressure the QB.

To successfully cover someone, follow them around as they run their 
route. If you stick close to them, chances are the QB won't risk 
throwing into that area. Also, trust that your computer-controlled 
teammates are doing their jobs as well. After all, you can't control 
everyone at once. 

A surprisingly common mistake I see a lot of players make is button-
mashing on defense. That's right, button mashers exist outside of 
Tekken and Virtua Fighter, unfortunately. What they do is suddenly 
press every button repeatedly when the opposing QB throws the ball. Do 
you know what this does? It causes every defender to dive, as if making 
a flying tackle, and therefore they blow all their coverages. That 
means the receiver will make the catch, be able to run up field, and 
possibly score by the time the defenders recover. In fact, I see people 
button-mash when trying to tackle a ball carrier, which is bad because 
if one guy misses, then everyone else will, too. So the moral of this 
story is: Do not button mash. Controlled tackling is far more 
effective.

If the ball is thrown in your direction, the most effective way to 
insure the receiver won't catch the ball is to knock him down. Yes, 
that's right, pass interference! It's legal in this game. :) Doing 
this will most likely cause an incomplete pass. You won't get too many 
interceptions this way, but that's all right because you'll be stalling 
the offensive drive and they will be forced to try to make big plays to 
make up for it. If you stick to your man and take him out before the 
ball reaches him, you're doing your job defensively.

Sometimes though, the receiver will still make the reception or one of 
your teammates lets down his coverage just a little and his receiver 
makes the play. Don't get frustrated if this happens. There's no way 
you won't give up any points. But if you consistently make solid 
defensive plays, you stand a great chance of winning. To give you a 
sense of perspective, the best defensive player in the arcade I play NFL 
Blitz at gives up 16 points/game. 

The best way to take out the ball carrier is to make a diving tackle, 
but from close range. Make sure you are close to him before you attempt 
a tackle. Sometimes he will stiff-arm you out of the air. That's all 
right. Pursue him. Your computer-controlled teammates tackle well in 
this game so don't worry too much about having to do things yourself.

On that subject, don't overuse the Change Player button. It's rare that 
you will be able to switch to the nearest man and react quickly enough 
to make a play. Trust your teammates. After all, in the NFL, defense 
is all about working as a unit and trusting each other. It's the same 
idea here. Don't be a gloryhound and try to make all the plays 
yourself. I have found that sometimes the computer makes better 
defensive plays against itself than humans do!

When fourth down comes up for the opposing team, don't assume they'll 
punt or kick a field goal. Call the defense you would call as if they 
would go for it. Many times (especially humans), the offensive team 
will go for it on fourth down, and then wouldn't you be sorry if you 
called punt return then? Having a normal defense ready is safer. So 
what if you can't return the punt or block the field goal? It's better 
than giving up a big play because you assumed something.


VI. Situational

The following are strategies to use in certain game situations. They 
are based on time, score, field position, and down. Note that many of 
these that say `4th quarter' can also be used in overtime as well. 
Enjoy.

Tie Score (or losing by 1-3), Possession, less than 1:30 left in the 
game:
This is a great time to have one of those long drives. Go for a 
short, safe drive, gradually moving down the field. Aim to get in field 
goal range. Don't worry if you can't score a touchdown, it isn't 
necessary. Try to kick your field goal with as little time left on the 
clock as possible, so that your opponent can't march down the field and 
score himself. Note that if you're losing by 3 and don't want to go 
into overtime (and pay more money), go for the TD.

Losing by 4-8, Possession, less than 1:30 left in the game:
Again, ball control is emphasized, but you need to have a touchdown 
as your goal, because a field goal does you no good. You might have to 
take more chances or hope for a big play. If you're losing by 7 and 
playing against a human, it is NFL Blitz etiquette to go for 2 if you 
score, rather than forcing both of you to pay for overtime. (There are, 
however, certain assholes out there who will kick the extra point and 
force overtime. Gee thanks, buddy.) If you're losing by 8, well, you 
have no choice but to go for 2. :)

Losing by more than 8, Possession, 4th quarter:
Score a touchdown as fast as possible, then go for an onside kick. 
If you don't recover it, try to make a defensive stop. If you do make 
that stop, follow one of the above strategies for your next possession.

Winning by 1-4, Possession, 4th quarter:
Go for a methodical drive that scores a touchdown. Not only will 
you eat up the clock, your opponent will need two scores in a very short 
amount of time.

Winning by 5-8, Possession, 4th quarter:
A methodical drive that has a field goal as its first aim. If you 
can score a touchdown, well, that's cool too. :)

Losing by 1-8, No possession, 4th quarter:
Make the best defensive stop you can muster and hope that you can 
get the ball back without your opponent scoring and with enough time to 
orchestrate a drive.

Losing by more than 8, No possession, 4th quarter:
Hope for a miracle (or for that computer assistance to kick in).

Tied or Winning by 1-3, No possession, 4th quarter:
A defensive stop would really be helpful. If your opponent scores 
a touchdown or field goal, you must come back and score yourself then, 
and if he has knowledge of ball control, he probably won't leave you 
with too much time to do that in. If you have confidence enough that 
you feel can stop your opponent from scoring, try to do so. However, if 
you don't think you can do it, you might want to let him score. 
Seriously. If you let him score quickly, you will most likely have 
enough time to orchestrate your own scoring drive, winning the game. If 
you're feeling like he can score no matter whether or not you attempt to 
stop him, chances are you're better him off letting him score quickly. 
If he's really smart, though, he'd probably do things like jump out of 
bounds so he can kill more clock. If he is that smart, you might as 
well attempt to stop him then.

Winning by 4-8, No possession, 4th quarter:
Your opponent needs a touchdown. Use the same strategy as above. 
The good thing about letting him score quickly in this case is that you 
would only need a field goal on your next possession, which isn't too 
difficult. Of course, if you think you can stop him, go for it!

In your own territory, Possession, Less than :30 left in the half or 
game:
Throw a long pass to try to get in field goal range. Once you're 
in that range, if there is more than :10 left, do some short passes to 
further advance. Kick the field goal if there is less than :10 left 
(unless you're within the 10 yard line and think you can make it). Of 
course, if it's the end of the game and you need a touchdown, go for 
that instead of just a field goal.

Opponent in his territory, No Possession, Less than :30 left in the half 
or game: 
Your opponent needs yards, and fast, so play "Deep Zone" and work 
on stopping big gains. Don't worry if you give up short stuff, it won't 
matter because there's so little time.

Start of overtime, You get the ball:
The one thing you should know about overtime in NFL Blitz is that 
it is not sudden death. It's like basketball overtime. If you get the 
ball, score as quickly as possible. That way, when your opponent 
receives the ball and he goes down the field and scores, you probably 
still have some time to get one more scoring drive in (even if it's just 
a field goal, that's okay). If you waste time on your first drive, 
chances are your opponent will come back and score when he gets the ball 
back, and you'll have to put in more money to play another OT (up to a 
maximum of 3, fortunately).

Start of overtime, Opponent gets the ball:
Make a defensive stop if you can. When you get the ball back, try 
for a ball-control drive that lets you score with not much time 
remaining. If you stopped your opponent on his drive, you'll take the 
lead without leaving him any time. If you didn't, he won't have time to 
come back and score again (in which case you're most likely headed to 
another OT).

4th down, Possession, In your own territory:
Punt.

4th down and short, Possession, Within Opponent's 40 yard line:
Going for it is not a bad idea. If you fail, you won't leave your 
opponent with great field position. Of course, if you're really 
conservative, you can kick a field goal from this distance.

4th down and long, Possession, Within Opponent's 40 yard line:
Kick a field goal in this situation. It's unlikely you'll make the 
first down.


The following situational strategies have been contributed by Miguel 
Gomez. All of these are when you are on defense.

1st down:
Try the play "Safe Cover." It is a play which does man coverage, 
and has the player you control as a free safety. This defense works 
because you will have a player near the ball at all times, so the threat 
of big plays and open passes is reduced greatly. The safety should hang 
out in the middle of the screen, covering any receivers who happen to 
break loose in that section of field.

2nd down, less than 15 yards to go:
Play "Safe Cover." It only gives up short yardage, so your 
chances of holding them under 15 yards are good. A zone defense is less 
effective in this situation.

2nd down, more than 15 yards to go:
Play "Medium Zone." Although it gives up some short yardage, 
there won't be any big plays by the offense, and the whole field is 
covered. Your intent here is to prevent them from getting the first 
down, not necessarily from getting any yardage whatsoever.

3rd down, less than 10 yards to go:
You have two options here, both of which require you to play close. 
"Safe Cover" is a good choice here, but instead of having your safety 
float backwards into coverage, he should play near the line to make a 
tackle before the ball carrier can cross the first down marker. Your 
second option is to play "Goal Line." The reason why is as follows: 
your defensive line will get a good push and will be able to rush the QB 
with their hands up, causing a lot of deflections, and thus, 
incompletions. In this defense, you must be comfortable making tackles 
with the man you control. He should play in the middle, with his feet 
on the first down line, ready to make a tackle.

3rd down, 10-20 yards to go:
Play "Medium Zone." Your defenders will be on or around the 
first down line, so they can defend passes which are thrown in that 
range, which will probably happen since the offense will be trying for 
the first down and probably passing that distance. However, they may 
try to surprise you by running the ball (maybe even with the QB) so you 
must remain alert. You might want to bring your man up in front of the 
first down line before the play begins, because your teammates should 
cover well.

3rd down, more than 20 yards to go:
Play "1 Man Blitz." This forces the QB to throw the ball sooner 
than he wants to, which is not good for him since he needs to throw deep 
to get the first down. The man coverage on the receivers causes any 
pass to be contested, and because the QB must throw quickly, he will 
only be able to make short passes, most likely causing his receivers to 
be tackled without getting the first down.

4th down, Goal to go:
Play "Suicide Blitz" with one exception. Your man should drop 
back into a safety role so that he has a chance to tackle a receiver 
should a pass be completed. However, this is not likely as the QB has a 
high chance of being sacked or his pass being deflected. If he is lucky 
enough to complete a short pass though, your man might have enough time 
to tackle the receiver, unless the offensive team was very close to the 
goal line to begin with.

4th down, All other situations:
Play "Safe Cover." If your opponent doesn't go for it, it won't 
matter, but if he does, then you have man coverage on his receivers, so 
a defender will be around the ball at all times. 

Please feel free to email Miguel at  with your 
comments on his strategies.


When to go for 2:

Another thing I see a lot of players do is go for two after every 
touchdown. This is not a good strategy because going for two is a risk. 
There are certain situations when going for two is appropriate and when 
it is not. These situations are based on score. Note that when I say 
something like "Losing by 1" in the following, I mean that is the 
differential after the touchdown has been scored and a decision about 
going for two needs to be made.

Tie:
Go for 1. It will give you the lead and force your opponent to score.

Losing by 1:
Go for 1. It will tie the game. If, however, it is the end of the 
game and you don't want to pay for OT, go for 2.

Losing by 2:
Go for 2. If you make it, the game is tied. If you don't, you're 
losing, but that's okay because you would be losing anyway if you only 
went for 1.

Losing by 3:
Go for 1. This way a field goal would win you the game. If you went 
for 2, and failed, a field goal would only tie the game.

Losing by 4:
Go for 1. A field goal would then tie the game. If you went for 2, a 
field goal would win you the game if you made the conversion, but if you 
failed it, you would need another touchdown.

Losing by 5:
Go for 2. A field goal would then tie the game. If you fail the 
conversion, you need another touchdown, but you would need another 
touchdown anyway if you went for 1.

Losing by 6:
Go for 1. If your opponent kicks a field goal, you are still within 
one score. Failing the 2 point conversion, and then your opponent 
kicking a field goal would make it a 9-point game, which means you need 
two scores.

Losing by 7:
Go for 1. That way, if you score another touchdown, you only need to 
go for 1 again to take the lead (because you would be tied).

Losing by 8:
Go for 1. If you score another touchdown, you can go for 1 again to 
tie the game. If you tried a 2 point conversion here, and failed, it 
would force you to go for 2 if you scored another touchdown just to tie 
the game.

Losing by 9:
Go for 1. This way you could try for 2 on the next touchdown to tie 
the game. If you tried for 2 here, and failed, you would need two 
scores.

Losing by 10:
Go for 2. You can try for 2 on the next touchdown to tie the game. 
Going for 1 here does you no good because you'd still need two scores.

Winning by 1:
Go for 2. That way your opponent would only tie the game if he kicked 
a field goal. If you went for 1, or failed your 2 point conversion, his 
field goal would win the game.

Winning by 2:
Go for 1. Your opponent's field goal would only tie the game. If you 
made your 2 point conversion, he would need a touchdown, but if you 
failed it, his field goal would win the game.

Winning by 3:
Go for 1. This forces your opponent to score a touchdown.

Winning by 4:
Go for 2. He still needs a touchdown, or 2 field goals. If you make 
the conversion, his 2 field goals would only tie the game.

Winning by 5:
Go for 2. That way, his touchdown and extra point would only tie the 
game. If you went for 1, or failed your conversion, his TD and XP would 
win it.

Winning by 6:
Go for 1. Your opponent's touchdown and extra point would only tie the 
game. If you made your conversion, he would need to also make his, but 
if you failed yours, he only needs a TD and extra point to win it.

Winning by 7:
Go for 1. This forces your opponent to score a touchdown and make his 
two point conversion just to tie it.

Winning by 8:
Go for 1. This forces your opponent to score twice.

Winning by 9:
Go for 1. He still needs to score twice, but his touchdown and field 
goal would only tie it.

Winning by 10:
Go for 1. This makes your opponent need a touchdown, 2-point 
conversion, and field goal just to tie it.

If you're losing by more than 10, you should go for 2, and if you're 
winning by more than 10, you should go for 1.