OK, so the ECFA and the EPFA use the same passing system. This is something that in part I've used for many years in solitaire.
1) I do not call plays before hand. I was using a play-calling chart, but got tired of seeing runs called on 3rd-and-18. I line the offense up in a recognized formation, and the defense is set up always with 4 DL, and then the linebackers, corners, and safeties are aligned as needed. All defenders must have a responsibility. They can't just be in a spot for no reason.
2) Once the board goes on, if a receiver comes open in a spot where I can hit him with the TTQB pass, I stop the board.
3) At this point, two 6-sided dice are rolled. One is red, one is white, and the red die is read first, so there are 36 different results. Rolls of 12, 21, 22, 56, and 65 make the pass incomplete. Play over.
3a) A roll of 11 is an interception by the nearest unengaged defender, and he is down right there. A roll of 66 is an interception by the nearest unengaged defender, and he can return it (he can be pivoted, but the rest of his team cannot be). Unengaged offensive players can be pivoted to try and tackle the interceptor.
4) Any other roll allows me to try the pass. But first, I have to measure from the quarterback's helmet to the receiver's helmet. The result will be 1 second (0-20 yards), 2 seconds (21-40 yards), 3 seconds (41+ yards). This will be the time the defense has to react to the receiver if he catches it.
Let's say in this case, the dice allow me to throw the pass, and it's complete, and the defense gets 2 seconds.
5) The receiver is replaced by a referee on a magnet. Unengaged defenders are pivoted, and the board is run for the 2 seconds. If a defender hits the magnet, the receiver is tackled. Play over. If not, the receiver is put back on the field, pivoted, the defenders are re-pivoted, and the play is run to its completion.
It sounds like a lot, but after getting used to it over just a few plays, the process becomes second nature. It makes it interesting in game play, because I may see a receiver and stop the board, then realize he isn't as open as he looks, because there is a linebacker underneath and a safety over the top helping out where the cornerback failed. But big passing days are still possible, too, with BYU's quarterback throwing for 399 in his team's opener.
Ed
