NFL Head Coach

[Snake]

Has anybody tried this game yet? It looks so cool. Apparently you control all aspects of training and games, just like a real NFL Coach. If anybody has tried the game, please give us your thoughts, or a rundown of it. Thanks.

[ATLFalcons]

I loved the game......for exactly 2 hours. I'm into making personnel moves and managing the team, but when you start your game all you can do is watch. It was kind of painful seeing the players moving and I couldn't control them. They have all of the 2006 Draft picks and you can scout players, talk with your coaches, hire and fire coaches, negotiate contracts, create plays, and talk with your owner. The learning curve for this game would probably be 45 minutes and remember to have a memory card handy!

[Packer Backer]

Ugh... No player control? Then again, head coaches don't have any control either, they just watch... (I'll hold off on the Terrell Owens jokes)

[EaglesFan]

You do have some player control. You can tell the quarterback who to target on specific plays, to scramble more, get rid of the ball faster, look for a deep pass,...

What I didn't like is that you can't change the length of the quarters (set at 5 mins. per), the layout was a little tough to get used to and the draft seemed a little out of whack (Chris Gocong seems to consistently go in the 1st round). It also gets a little repetitive and the offseason/training camp takes forever to get through.

I do like the variable ratings for your players and the hidden ratings for opposing/college players.

[ATLFalcons]

I did like how you had to boost your players up. I might want to tell my linebacker to work harder and he takes the comment like a man and goes out there and gets a sack, that's very realistic.

[Snake]

From the sounds of things so far, you guys don't really think that the game is worth buying? I guess I could see where some stuff would get tedious and repetitive.

[ATLFalcons]

If you have a lot of time on your hands and like watching animated football this is the game for you.

[brady_branch]

It was on sale for ten bucks at Target, so I bought it. I still haven't tried it out.

[brady_branch]

It's pretty decent. I went to the Texans, because I just couldn't pass up that #1 draft choice. My owner tells me to draft a marquee QB, so I think, OK, I can do that. Then I go into draft day, and my stupid scouting director tells me to draft A.J. Hawk! Of course, I tell him to shut up and draft Matt Leinart. Then, in the second round, despite my philosophy being Spread, he tells me to draft a TE (Dominique Byrd, out of USC). I decline and pick up Kamerion Wimbley. In Round 3, he tells me to take Nick Mangold, despite his inabilities to pass block. I draft Sinorice Moss, who was somehow still available. I'm about to play my first preseason game.

[ATLFalcons]

What did they say when you drafted Matt Leinart?? Did they give an overview on him? I drafted my cousin with the 11th pick overall and Mel Kiper said, "this guy is an absolute nobody." I had to call him and tell him that!! :D

[brady_branch]

I can't remember what it said, basically that it was a safe pick, but when I got Maurice Drew in the fourth round, it said it was a huge risk.

[brady_branch]

I started two new ones, the first I couldn't save due to no space on my memory card, but I drafted Vince Young, and he was HORRIBLE! So then on my next one, I traded up (as the Lions) and got Reggie Bush, then with my own pick got Jay Cutler. Whoo hoo!

[Ladder]

everyone I know who had this game, said it sucked real bad

(they all returned it/traded it in)

[brady_branch]

They probably were upset that you couldn't mash the buttons and win every game 77-0. And Ladder, they must not have done the draft. That is the single best part of the game.

[ATLFalcons]

I was upset about not being able to mash the buttons, but I did enjoy scouting the players and drafting the players. It was funny when you draft a player too high in the 1st round and Mel Kiper says, "This guy is an absolute nobody!"

[Ladder]

They probably were upset that you couldn't mash the buttons and win every game 77-0. And Ladder, they must not have done the draft. That is the single best part of the game.
That may be it. I never played it. I'm just telling you guys what I've been told about it.

[brady_branch]

If you are a serious football fan, and are looking for a good game that will teach you about strategy and the inner workings of pro football, this is for you. It's actually pretty good, once you get over not being able to mash the buttons.

BTW, what camera angle do you use when you play out games?

[ATLFalcons]

I only "played" one game and I used the standard camera angle.

[brady_branch]

The standard Madden one, or the one it automatically has you use?

[ATLFalcons]

The on it automatically has you use. I motivated a few of my players and I led them to victory!

[brady_branch]

Heh, my motivation never works. When I tell Jay Cutler he's playing great, he takes it badly. My strategy, on the other hand, almost always works. I tell Reggie Bush to try and bounce a few runs outside, and three plays later, on a counter off-tackle, he keeps going outside, breaks a tackle, turns the corner, and gets a 73-yard TD run. I tell Cutler to look down the field, and he hits Roy Williams for a TD. I tell him to scramble if he feels pressure, and he picks up 27 yards after the play breaks down, and three plays later, Shawn Bryson (who I put in as the goal-line back) bulls through the line for a 2-yard TD run. I end up winning 34-21. And I was a DEFENSIVE-minded coach.

What schemes did you run? I usually use singleback, but I've used the spread before, as well as west coast. On defense, I use 46 or cover 2.