Crunch League Football v1.0
(c) Copyright 1990 by Stephen David
A Brief Introduction to Football

   Football is one of the most popular sports in America and a great one to
play with a computer.  For those of you who know very little about the sport,
Crunch League Football may seem a little confusing, so following is a brief
description of the setup.
   Teams of eleven players compete to score the most points and win the game.
Points can be scored three different ways:

Touchdown.  Worth six points when a team carries the ball into the other 
  team's endzone.  An extra point can then be attempted by a kicker on that 
  team.  That team kicks off to the other team.

Field Goal.  Worth three points when a player on a team kicks the ball between
  the goal posts in his endzone.  His team then kicks off to the other.

Safety.  Worth two points for the defensive team when an offensive player is
  tackled in his own endzone.  The offensive team kicks off to the defensive
  team.

   The game is divided into plays, which consist of an attempt by the
offensive team to move the ball up the field.  A team is allowed four plays, 
or downs, before it must give up the ball to the other team.  The only way to
possess the ball for more than four downs is to make a first down by gaining 
at least ten yards in the first four plays.  When those ten yards have been
gained, the first down is reset and the cycle starts over again.  The 
defensive team can also gain possession of the ball if one of its players
intercepts a pass or picks up a fumble.  At this point the defensive team gets
a first down and attempts to move the ball in the other direction.  If, of
course, a team scores any points, it must kick off the ball to the other team.
The names and description of offensive positions are as follows:

Backfield:

Quarterback (QB).  The most important player on the team, the quarterback
  receives the ball from the center at the beginning of each play.  Either 
  gives the ball to another player by a pass or a hand-off or attempts to run
  it himself.

Half Back (HB).  Often runs for small gains.  Blocks when the full 
  back runs or the quarterback passes.

Full Back (FB).  Runs outside for larger gains and receives passes every once
  in a while.  Blocks for other passes.

Wide Receivers (WR):

Wide Out (WO).  Catches longer passes.  Usually the fastest player on the 
  offense.

Flanker (FL).  Catches shorter passes.  Sometimes blocks as well.

Linemen:

Tight End (TE).  More of a receiver/blocker.  Usually receives short passes or
  blocks.

Offensive Tackles (OT).  Right Tackle (RT) and Left Tackle (LT).  Block
  defensive tackles from the play.

Offensive Guards (OG).  Left Guard (LG) and Right Guard (RG).  Block 
  Linebackers or help the tackles and center.

Center (C).  Snaps the ball to the quarterback at the beginning of a play.
  Blocks man across from him, usually the nose guard.

Kicker (K).  Usually only plays when needed to kick the ball, whether for an
   extra point, field goal, punt or kickoff.

   Following are the names and descriptions of defensive positions:

Backfield:

Linebackers (LB).  Middle Linebacker (MLB).  Responsible for runs in the 
  middle and drops back for passes.   Left Outside (LLB) and Right Outside
  Linebackers (RLB).  Help on outside plays (sideline passes, etc.).

Defensive Backs (DB).  Right Cornerback (RCB) and Left Cornerback (LCB).
  Cover deep right and left backfield.

Safety (S).  Covers deep inside backfield.  Does not allow anyone behind him.

Linemen:

Ends (DE).  Left End (LE) and Right End (RE).  Outside contain; do not allow
  anyone run outside.

Tackles (DT).  Left Tackle (LT) and Right Tackle (RT).  Give pass pressure
  and look for the quickest way in to the quarterback.

Nose Guard (NG).  Guards gaps on each side of center.

   These positions may seem confusing at first, but their basic jobs can be
seen in the starting formation used by Crunch League:

Offense:                         FB
                                 HB
             WO                  QB            F
                        TE RT RG  C LG LT
Defense:               LE   LT   NG   RT   RE
                           LLB  MLB   RLB
                    LCB                       RCB
                                  S

   In order to play most effectively, a team plans its major plays before a 
game.  The strategies the offensive team uses to gain yardage can be divided 
into several basic plays:

Run Left and Run Right.  Either the full back, half back or quarterback runs
  to the outside with the ball.  Requires a good deal of speed and good
  blocking on that side.

Run Middle.  Run by a backfield player for short, but more definite gains.
  Requires good blocking in the center.

Run Random.  Run any of the above plays randomly.  Keeps the defense confused
  but requires good running and blocking.

Pass Short Left and Pass Short Right.  A short pass by the quarterback to one
  of the receivers.  Require good passing and running abilities in the
  receivers.

Pass Medium.  Riskier than a short pass but allows a larger yardage gain.

Pass Long.  Even harder to complete, but the gain can be good with good
  receivers.

Punt.  Kicking the ball to the other team.  Usually on the fourth down when it
  seems impossible for the offense to make a first.  Gives the ball to the
  defense at the other end of the field.

Field Goal.  Attempt to kick a field goal when a team is not close enough to
  the endzone to risk a touchdown on the fourth down.  Requires good blocking
  and kicking.  Gives to ball to the defense where it was kicked if
  unsuccessful.

   The defensive plays can be categorized more specifically:

Conservative.  Wait to really act until the offense has made a move.  
  Generally the safest, but also a weak defense.

Pass Pressure.  Put more pressure on the quarterback and receivers.  Good when
  the offense is strong in those areas.

Tight Man Coverage.  Play with tight man-to-man coverage.  Strong when no one
  player on the other team is exceptional.  Stronger against passing plays.

Blitz.  Rushing into the backfield with several linemen.  Strong against
  running plays but weak against passing plays.

Punt Defense.  A special formation to return a punt and block the returner.
  Used only against punts.

   At the beginning of the game the teams flip a coin to see who will kick
off.  The other team then kicks off after half time.  Whoever has managed to
score the most points at the end of the game has won.  That's basically how
Crunch League is set up.  For more information on setting up your team and
playing Crunch League Football refer to the Crunch League Information section
of the help menu.

   ...And have fun playing CRUNCH LEAGUE FOOTBALL!