If you’ve ever wanted to go beyond Madden’s franchise mode and have more control over your favorite NFL team, then NFL Head Coach 09 is the game for you. Having improved greatly over the last iteration which debuted in 2007, NFL Head Coach 09 is a game directly aimed at simulation fans.
Taking control as the GM and coach of your NFL team, Head Coach 09 removes the ability to control your players on the field and instead assigns you to pay attention to the finer details of a clipboard. One big change from the original is that you no longer have to run practices or set up coaches’ meetings. The scope and depth of the title is deep for only being the second generation of the series.
The general management tools are exquisite and will definitely satisfy those who wanted to feel superior then their computer AI counterparts in putting together the perfect team. You’ll of course have the ability to sign and trade players, scout upcoming draft prospects, and call plays on the field. The free-agent bidding is superb; it’s the best portion of the game. The free-agent market is as if you were on Ebay bidding for the talents to fill a position – you’ll be timed and will have to quickly decide on if you want to outbid the opposing teams.
Throughout the career you lead, you’ll need to keep up an approval rating high to satisfy the owner. This can often be remedied by winning your games, but if you’re stuck with a stinker of a team, there are other requisites that you can meet to keep the approval rating high. You can plan ahead for your team’s future by trading future draft picks, figuring out if the player who is holding out is worth more money, and several other career defining options. If there’s a downfall of the general management section of the game, it is that it’s very easy to rob other teams of their star players for a few of your third-stringers.
Outside of the essentials of a football simulator, NFL Head Coach 09 employs an old Madden engine that contains a poor frame rate and dated graphics. Even the menu navigation gets tiring to the point where loading becomes a nuisance. When you actually get to the field to coach your team, you’ll have a few camera angles to switch through but they’re nothing too dramatic.
There are also options to create your own plays and playbooks, though they aren’t anything special. Taking your competitive spirit online isn’t worth your time since it’s basically a chess match where players pick their plays but never watch the plays unfold. Besides these few options, the biggest drawing point to play NFL Head Coach 09 is to build your dream team. If you’d rather play with your favorite players than being the genius who put the team together, I’d recommend playing Madden 09 over NFL Head Coach 09.
