Tecmo Memoirs: Season Three (TSB2K+1)

TSB2K, the moniker for the second season, was a huge success. The commissioners were able to crank out a season of 18 players in about half a semester and most of the people involved had a blast. The growing monster that was Tecmo attracted six new faces for the third season, leaving four teams to be banned. Those teams ended up being the Bills, Giants, Raiders, and 49ers. In season two, the Raiders and Giants were not banned as their divisional counterparts the Chiefs and Eagles were off the market. This season the Bears, Oilers, Chiefs, and Eagles were all in play. To deal with expansion the system that is currently used was implemented.

Early in the season a matchup between "Hard" Corey Rice and Matt Weiland (Chiefs vs. Saints) led to the creation of a demandment. Heading into overtime, HC pushed a button and was given the ball (no coin toss). Weiland sat their befuddled and raised objections, but what could I do? Even when the button is pushed it's still a coin flip. Hard Corey marched down the field and won the game. The punt rule was immediately adopted. In fact, I believe that this was the season which the Demandments were handed down from the Tecmo gods.

Season three was played at a blistering pace (finished in the same semester as season two) and saw the rookie seasons of some big Tecmo names. Jason Boddu (Vikings) and John Schweitzer (Browns) took their share of lumps, but they would improve and meet in the Super Bowl in the following season. John Metzger's Falcons, like his every-other-season teams, received many a beat-down. But the biggest impact by a rookie was delivered by one-season-wonder Brian Allen (Chargers). Allen would pilot the Chargers to near Tecmo glory and then vanish into oblivion.

The playoffs were played with little fanfare as most of it took place during finals week. The Super Bowl was played with just one spectator.

Jamie Peters locked up his status as a Hall of Famer by earning a Wild-Card berth with the Patriots (he was the winner of Super Bowl II). The Beast was quickly dispatched in the playoffs, however, by the now villainous "Hard" Corey. That win put Corey, who had a great playoff draw, in a position to play for the AFC Championship. Nick Ciofani put a stop to that when, in overtime (fittingly), Corey bit on the play-action and Jeff George hit Bill Brooks for a sixty-yard TD. Incensed, HC stormed down the hall to 407 where he promptly punted his trash can (to the sheer delight of all spectators).

Ciofani met up with Brian Allen in the AFC title game and it was another classic. Don't ever take your PAT's for granted, because one of those made all the difference. Leslie O.Neal steamed through the Colts O-line and was able to block a kick and the final score was 14-13. Allen moved on to the Super Bowl where he would face the ultra greedy Tim McDonald (17 picks that year). McDonald's penchant for interceptions (and Mickey D's commercials) inspired the dreaded catch-phrase "Did somebody say McDonald?" and Univision's coverage of the World Cup spawned it's little brother "Alguien dijo McDonald?" The Cards made the Super Bowl after going 15-1 (a double-skip loss) and then easily taking down Brandon Thornton's Lions (who had a nice upset of Weiland's Saints) and Steve Kirschner's Eagles (came out of the Wild Card round).

I thought I was going to steamroll in this game, especially after taking a 14-0 lead into half-time. Allen kept his cool, though, and started to get some turnovers to balance things out. I swear there were at least eight total turnovers in this game. Gill Byrd and Tim McDonald were having their respective ways with the laughable passing skills of Tom Tupa (who got the start over Rosenbach...oddly enough, I started Dilweg over Majkowski in Super Bowl V) and B.J. Tolliver. Allen used Butts to tie the score at 14 and, on the last play of the game, sacked Tupa and caused a fumble. Luckily for the Chosen One the defensive player that recovered the ball was slower than Leon Lett. The player was tackled outside the ten yard line and it was time for OT. The Cards won the toss and from there it was a steady diet of Johnny Johnson. J.J. was able to grind out a few first downs but was finally stopped on the Chargers' 45 yd. line. With visions of Leslie O.Neal dancing in my head I nervously sent Al Del Greco out for the game-winner. O.Neal got the split-screen, but the ball wobbled past and split the uprights. 17-14 Cardinals. I shook Allen's hand and breathed a sigh of relief. The win did not come easily and it would have been crushing to lose after waltzing through the season. Had I lost the toss in overtime things may have been a lot different.

I was very pleased with the way the season went and had the whole summer to drool over the possibilities of Tecmo in years to come. It was my last season in the dorm and the only season which I hosted. I loved hosting and wished I could have done it more often, but I'm sure my roommate would not have shared my sentiments.

More memoirs to come in the future...