Step one: Forget about attributes that don't matter

First, for each type of player, I disregard attributes which are either the same for each player or not used by the game to determine performance. Yes, for whatever reason (the programmers forgot, ran out of time, etc.), Accuracy of Passing for QBs, and Quickness for defensive players have no effect on actual performance.

Below are the attributes that are either the same for every player at the position or not used. Note that I put RBs, WRs, and TEs into one group, since every player can play each of the other two positions.

If you want to learn more about attributes and how they affect player performance, I highly recommend this guide.

QB

Running Speed: 25
Rushing Power: 69
Hitting Power: 13
Accuracy of Passing: not used

RB/WR/TE

Rushing Power: 69 (Even Okoye, who has a listed Rushing Power of 75)

Kick Returners

Receptions: not used

Punt Returners

Ball Control: 44
Receptions: not used

OL

Running Speed: 25
Rushing Power: 69

DL/LB/C/S

Quickness: not used

K

Running Speed: 56
Rushing Power: 81
Maximum Speed: 81
Hitting Power: 31

P

Running Speed: 25
Rushing Power: 56
Maximum Speed: 44
Hitting Power: 31

Step two: Calculate a score for attributes that do matter

Next, for the attributes that remain, I assign a score based on the highest value for a player at that position.

For example, the highest Maximum Speed for a QB is 56, which belongs to QB Eagles. So he scores 100% on that attribute. The highest Pass Control is 81, shared by both Montana and QB Bills, who again both get 100%. Since QB Eagles has Pass Control of 69, he receives an 85% (69/81 * 100) for that attribute.

Step three: Weight each attribute to determine a total score

Once each attribute score is calculated, they are averaged to give a final score. However, rather than treating all scores as equal, I weight each score based on its importance for determining the performance of the player at that position.

For instance, for rushers, Maximum Speed is by far the most important attribute. For receivers, Receptions is most important.

Below are the weightings of attributes for players at each position.

QB

Maximum Speed: 25%
Passing Speed: 20%
Pass Control: 50%
Avoid Pass Block: 5%

Rushers (all RB, WR, TE receive a rusher rating)

Running Speed: 10%
Maximum Speed: 70%
Hitting Power: 10%
Ball Control: 5%
Receptions: 5%

Receivers (all RB, WR, TE receive a receiver rating)

Running Speed: 10%
Maximum Speed: 30%
Hitting Power: 5%
Ball Control: 5%
Receptions: 50%

Kick Returners (all RB, WR, TE receive a kick returner rating)

Running Speed: 20%
Maximum Speed: 60%
Hitting Power: 10%
Ball Control: 10%

Punt Returners (all RB, WR, TE receive a punt returner rating)

Running Speed: 20%
Maximum Speed: 70%
Hitting Power: 10%

OL

Maximum Speed: 50%
Hitting Power: 50%

DL

Running Speed: 10%
Rushing Power: 35%
Maximum Speed: 10%
Hitting Power: 40%
Pass Interceptions: 5%

LB

Running Speed: 10%
Rushing Power: 35%
Maximum Speed: 10%
Hitting Power: 30%
Pass Interceptions: 15%

CB/S

Running Speed: 10%
Rushing Power: 35%
Maximum Speed: 10%
Hitting Power: 5%
Pass Interceptions: 40%

K

Kicking attribute: 70%
Avoid Kick Block: 30%

P

Kicking attribute: 70%
Avoid Kick Block: 30%

A note about hitting power for offensive players

Hitting power only really makes a difference on offensive player performance once it reaches about 88. To account for this, offensive ratings use score bands instead of the raw hitting power value: players below 75 get 0%, 75 gets 40%, 81 gets 60%, 88 gets 80%, and 94 gets 100%. That gives players with 75 and 81 hitting power in average condition partial credit, since they can reach 88 in Good and Excellent condition.

Rankings still use higher raw hitting power as the tiebreak when two offensive players have the same displayed rating.

Example: ratings for Jerry Rice and Bo Jackson

Let's take a closer look at how this scoring system works for two players: Jerry Rice and Bo Jackson.

First, here are the attributes and scores for each player.

(Reminder: Score = Highest value for any player at that position/player value * 100)

Rice:
Running Speed: 44 (69.84%)
Maximum Speed: 69 (92.00%)
Hitting Power: 13 (0%)
Ball Control: 81 (100.00%)
Receptions: 81 (100.00%)

Jackson:
Running Speed: 38 (60.32%)
Maximum Speed: 75 (100.00%)
Hitting Power: 31 (0%)
Ball Control: 81 (100.00%)
Receptions: 81 (23.46%)

As explained above, hitting power below 75 is discarded when determining player rating.

Here are the ratings for each player as a receiver:

Rice: 89.58% ((10 * (69.84 / 100)) + (30 * (92 / 100)) + (5 * (0 / 100)) + (5 * (100 / 100)) + (50 * (100 / 100)))

Jackson: 52.76% ((10 * (60.32 / 100)) + (40 * (100 / 100)) + (5 * (0 / 100)) + (5 * (100 / 100)) + (50 * (23.46 / 100)))

No surprises here, as Jerry Rice is the best receiver in the game. While Bo Jackson's speed counts for a lot, his poor Receptions hurts him as a receiver.

Now here are their rusher ratings:

Rice: 81.38% ((10 * (69.84 / 100)) + (70 * (92 / 100)) + (10 * (0 / 100)) + (5 * (100 / 100)) + (5 * (100 / 100)))

Jackson: 82.20% ((10 * (60.32 / 100)) + (70 * (100 / 100)) + (10 * (0 / 100)) + (5 * (100 / 100)) + (5 * (23.46 / 100)))

Jackson is the best rusher in the game, with Rice a close second.

Step four: Use rating to assign a ranking

For each player, I show their rating as well as ranking. The rating shows their actual performance at that position compared to every other player, and ranking shows how many players are above or below them once those ratings are ordered. For offensive players, ties in the displayed rating are broken by higher hitting power.

The rating system isn't perfect, but it's a useful tool for ranking players against each other and getting a relative sense of their ability.

What team ratings measure

Team ratings start with the player ratings already shown across the site, which are then rolled up into offensive, defensive, and overall team strength. The goal is to answer a simple question: if you line this roster up in the strongest realistic way, how good is the team?

The Team Ratings page shows the final overall score, including offensive and defensive sub-ratings. These team numbers are built from the existing player ratings for each team.

How offense is built

Offensive ratings combine four ideas: quarterback quality, the best available skill-player lineup, the offensive line, and the return game.

• The QB value is the weighted average of the best quarterback at 80% and the backup at 20%.
• The offensive line is the average of the five starters: C, LG, RG, LT, and RT.
• The return game uses the best kick and punt return options from the RB/WR/TE pool.
• The skill positions are treated as one shared pool, and the model searches for the best five-man static lineup for each offensive style.

That last part is the key difference between team and player ratings. Instead of grading one player in isolation, the offense is trying to find the best combination of backs, wideouts, and tight ends for how a team would actually want to play.

Why there are three offensive sub-ratings

When you expand offense on the team table, you'll see three different offense scores because a roster can be strong in different ways.

• Run emphasizes the best run-oriented lineup, with the biggest weight on the top two rushing slots.
• Pass emphasizes the strongest pass-catching lineup and gives quarterback play much more influence.
• Balanced is a mixed offense, but it is intentionally pass-biased because passing is generally the stronger offensive mode in Tecmo.

The final offensive rating leans most heavily on that balanced score, so teams with flexible, pass-friendly lineups usually grade better than teams that are one-dimensional.

How defense is built

Defense is simpler. It uses the fixed 11 starters only, then breaks them into three units: defensive line, linebackers, and secondary.

• The defensive line is the average of RE, NT, and LE.
• The linebacker score is the average of the four starting linebackers.
• The secondary score is the average of RCB, LCB, FS, and SS.

Those three unit scores are then combined by starter count, so the four-man linebacker group and four-man secondary group matter slightly more than the three-man defensive line.

How overall rating is calculated

Once offense and defense are finished, the final overall team rating is just a 50/50 split between them.

What team ratings do not try to model

The team ratings are meant to be useful, not all-knowing. They intentionally leave out a few things.

• Kickers and punters are not part of the team rating.
• The model does not simulate injuries, fatigue, or deep bench rotations.
• It does not model defensive substitutions or constant position shuffling between plays.
• It does not try to read playbooks, play-calling tendencies, or down-and-distance strategy.

So the best way to read the number is: this is a static lineup strength model built from the player ratings on the site. It's very useful for comparing rosters, but it is not pretending to capture every part of a real game.