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Gameplay: 'NFL Head Coach'
Innovative approach marks 'Head Coach'
By Joe Nguyen
nguyejos@mscd.edu

Courtesy of EA Sports NFL Head Coach Platforms: PS2, XBOX and PC Price: $39.99 Electronic Arts

Warning: If you have a life, don’t get this game.

EA’s “NFL Head Coach” is an in-depth expansion on the Madden series’ franchise mode where the player manages all aspects of the team off and on the field, from choosing the assistant coaches to conducting practices. The only difference is that the player acts purely as a coach during games, having no control over how the team performs beyond plays.

I’m a big fan of micro-management sport games where I manage rosters and negotiate contracts. Games such as “Out of the Park Baseball” have taken many hours from my life. Even with games such as “NHL 2K6,” I find myself enjoying the behind-the-scenes dealings as much as the actual gameplay.

This game starts with the player choosing a team to coach. After going through an interview with said team, the player is assigned coaching statistics ranging from motivation to defensive linemen knowledge. The player is then offered contracts from four different teams, including the team that conducted the interview, and is presented with a list of expectations each team has for the new season.

I was interviewed by Denver, but I signed with the Detroit Lions because their expectations were much lower (I had to win eight games) and I was afraid of leading my beloved Broncos poorly.
The best part of the game is the NFL Draft. After months of scouting college athletes, the player sits in the war room and selects the best picks available for the team. I selected USC halfback Reggie Bush as my fourth pick. I desperately needed a quarterback, but Bush was too good to pass up.

“Head Coach” is not without its downsides, the biggest being the ease of the game. I found myself finishing the regular season undefeated and going on to win the Super Bowl. Not by a small margin either. The score was 23-0 over the Indianapolis Colts and I held Peyton Manning’s monstrous offense to 29 total yards. In fact through the entire season, I only had one game that went to overtime. Coupling solid linebackers with heavy blitzing makes one’s defense nearly unstoppable.

This game is incredibly time consuming. It took 60 hours to go from the point I got hired to the end of the Super Bowl. Expect spending an hour each week running practices and maintaining office hours. The office hours are especially annoying because they cannot be substituted with any other agenda items. I would love to be able to scout an extra player or hold a meeting with an assistant who is having problems with the way I’m coaching the team.

Despite its flaws, “NFL Head Coach” establishes itself as a pioneer in sports gaming. Its inventive approach to football and addictive gameplay makes it a welcome addition to the libraries of those wanting more than what the Madden series has to offer.