The defensive team cards and the player cards are organized similarly. The player on offense chooses from these six options, specifies which player is executing them on which side of the field, and rolls four six sided dice to determine the outcome of the play. The cards are computed to produce the statistical average performance of the given player, with allowances made for their individual playing styles. For instance, Barry Sanders will be better at breaking out explosive long gains on runs, but Jerome Bettis will be better at getting tough yardage up the middle. Thus, players in the game perform very close to their real-life selves.
Defenses perform differently.
Rather than simply choosing a defensive set, the defense moves its players to different zones depending on what it believes the offense will do in a given situation. All 11 defensive players are represented by cardboard tokens with their ability ratings printed on them. Some of them can be moved flexibly, like the free safety and the linebackers, and some remain stationary, like the cornerbacks, strong safety, and linemen. The defense must carefully weigh its options before mobilizing its resources, for by strengthening one zone, it inevitably weakens another. This is where the real psychological game plays itself out, as the coaches attempt to second guess one another and compensate for their relative strengths and weaknesses.