Computer football sims have been around for quite some time. Many have been very detailed simulations of the on and off the field decisions faced by a pro football GM and head coach, but they’ve all been strictly for the heavy number-crunching crowd. The graphics have been primitive at best and a screen full of numbers at their worst, and yet they have always had a strong appeal to gamers and football fans who wanted to try their hand at running a pro club.

Well the world of football simulation is about to be yanked by its shoulder pads into the 21st Century, and there’s probably no one better suited to do this than EA Sports. The Madden NFL games have always been the powerhouse of the NFL gaming world and the franchise mode has been a part of the game for years now, so it is not too much of a stretch for EA Sports to go totally franchise and that’s just what they’re about to do with NFL Head Coach.

We were sent a demo of the soon to be released PC version of the game and we’re able to get a look at some of the game’s mode. Successful franchises are launched by successful drafts and NFL Head Coach will put you in the “war room” of an NFL franchise on draft day. You’ll have access to scouting reports, advice from your staff, and your own brains to go on as you try to fill the holes in your roster and build a winning franchise. There’s a tremendous amount of detail available through the scouting reports and you can filter the reports on a number of categories – not only can you look for the best TE left in the draft, you can also search for the fastest player still available. You can also look at the reports for your current roster and those of other teams. This is very useful for identifying holes in your roster, looking for potential trades, and for finding ways to beat your division rival. To simulate the pressures of draft day, the draft clock ticks away in real time and you can either jump to your pick or let the clock tick to give you time to select your next pick. When it’s your turn, you’ve got five minutes to pull all the data, advice, and your own instincts together to make your pick.

The next aspect of the game I tried out was the practice mode. In this mode you’re given a limited number of plays to run in order to make your team more proficient on the field. You can concentrate on a few key offensive and defensive plays, turning them into your marquee plays through repetition, or you can practice a variety of formations and plays to give your team more breadth in its key play selection. Plays can be run with first, second, or third string players on either side of the ball, and it’s up to you to determine whether it is more important to give more practice time to your starters or to give some experience to the back-ups. After each play you can address your team or individual players, taking a supportive or “in your face” approach to motivation. Of course different players take to different types of motivation differently and part of your job as a coach is to use the right motivation for the right players.

Lastly I took a look at the actual game day action. It is up to you as to whether you want to call all the plays yourself, give your quarterback general guidelines to follow, or leave him free to call the plays as he sees fit. Play-calling is a quick and intuitive process, primarily because the playbook is organized as it would be for a coach with plays grouped by situation such as “third and long”. All throughout the game you can chew out, complement, motivate, or talk strategy with individual players, groups of players such as your receivers, your entire offense or defense, or your entire team. In a realistic touch, if you are not addressing your team during a stoppage in play the game will continue as you’re speaking with your players. The plays themselves are run in a 3D view with the default camera view set to a high TV-style sideline angle shot. This is where the Madden NFL experience is a real asset as the on the field action looks great and it makes it very gratifying to see that play you ran so many times in practice payoff big time as it all unfolds in detailed 3D graphics.

NFL Head Coach won’t be for everyone. If you’re a football game fan who never had much interest in franchise modes you’ll find the work leading up to the games to be too time-consuming and the hands-off game action to be unappealing. However, for football gamers who love building their own teams in franchise mode or hard-core football fans who would love to try their hand at running their favorite team, NFL Head Coach may just be a dream come true.