The video linked below is a really good look at the chess match of Tecmo Bowl. This breaks down match-up assessment and the game planning process, while exploring how to create different defensive help reactions by the computer. The CPU help in the passing game and knowing the tricks to short circuiting the run blocking schemes are paramount if you want to play great defense in Tecmo Bowl.

The idea behind using a base defense is illustrated, and how I'm also conditioning the offense into a certain thought process early in the game...which eventually will be used against them. Adjustment are made by the offense, which I then show how to counter by deviating from the base defense calls. Defensively we want to funnel the offense into the less advantageous plays. It becomes a test of wills as the offense tries to then make the most out of those plays...in an effort to force the defense out of their base calls.

Despite only having 4 plays per team, this game is incredibly cerebral. However, it takes a couple extremely knowledgeable players for that to be true. For many, this game was all about randomly just calling 1 of the 4 plays. That approach, especially on defense ends up being an extremely flawed game-plan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec3WHUilXkI