NFL Head Coach 09: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
by Kaizen Media Group
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Book Summary Information
Author: Kaizen Media GroupEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-12
ISBN: 0761559582
Number of pages: 160
Publisher: Prima Games
Book Reviews of NFL Head Coach 09: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
Book Review: Indispensible
Summary: 5 Stars
I have read some other reviews of this product which leave the reader with an unfavorable impression. I'd like to rectify that situation by fully endorsing this guide.
I played three entire seasons of Head Coach '09 before my guide (ordered from Amazon.com) arrived. The first season I relied upon those unfavorable reviews and simply went at it. The second season, I began to suspect I had been mislead. By the third, I was convinced and restarted my league. Though I did not yet have the guide, I knew the learning curve was steep, particularly with so many facets of the game unexplained, even after visits to the EA forums. I only played a part of another season before I had the guide in my hand and I've not looked back.
One could say that the list of 50 future stars alone pays for the guide. It's nice to have that peak into the future, to know a certain player will be another Dan Marino or LT.
But the real value, in my opinion, is in the advice the book offers. There is a useful discussion of coaching skills at the beginning, as well as a discussion about choosing playbooks (when you should and when you should not) and some advice about whether or not to start before or after the '08 draft.
There is an in-depth discussion of the off-season, for example, how free agency works, your cap, "free agency tactics", trades - and valuable trading tips as well as a very useful chart which details the philosophies of the starting GMs (how often they trade, their mindset - over offer or low ball), spending philosophy, etc). There are also some helpful tips on contract negotiations and player grades (see note below).
The draft is discussed in depth. The most useful part of this portion of the book is how to look for sleepers (outside of simply consulting the "Future 50". Knowing to look for "double" or "triple 90's" was a huge help. No longer do the later rounds seem quite so pointless. Knowing you might be able to find another Houshmandzadeh makes those later rounds something to look forward to rather than dread.
The pre-season gets a brief discussion and then we get into the "playbook strategy" section, which discusses creating/editing plays, play creator options, other playbooks, and provides a breakdown of the playbooks used by each team. This last is very helpful when choosing a team to coach as it gives you a peak of the strengths and weaknesses of each team's existing system. For example, in choosing to coach the 49ers I decided to keep the Martz Air Attack while dumping the weak Nolan 3-4 and adopting the Spagnuolo Pressure in its place (which has worked very well so far).
Finally there are the team profiles, another useful tool in determining which team to play. These offer such information as the teams strengths and weaknesses, coaching staff skill ratings (another nice tidbit to examine before choosing a team to coach), and offensive and defensive depth charts. For each team there is a discussion about redoing the 2008 off-season (what your team needs) as well as a list of who the team actually drafted in '08. The team's available salary cap room is also provided and for me, this is one of the most important determinants: just how much money am I going to have to fix the team's problems?
The last part of the book has a chart showing team position philosophies (here you can find out what the Bengals look for in a QB, for example) as well as a nifty little list of which NFL players will become coaches when they retire (in the game). For example, Ray Lewis will become a linebacker coach (surprise!).
The guide is not perfect. There are gaps. For example, many things go unexplained. "Intangibles" is defined in one place as "ball carrier vision, man-to-man pass coverage or throw accuracy" while in another it is simply defined as "awareness". Clearly, there is some confusion here unless it is all these things. So while the book is not perfect, I've found it far more useful than I was led to believe and the thin pages do not bother me at all.
Summary of NFL Head Coach 09: Prima Official Game Guide (Prima Official Game Guides)
.Dominate the Draft: Crucial advice on how to assess your team's needs, develop a solid scouting plan, and discover top talent in every round-including sleeper picks!.Master the Playbook: Find out which teams have the strongest NFL playbooks, then design and test your own offensive and defensive plays to make them even better.
.Expert Tips to Make You a Coaching Legend: Guide your team to a Super Bowl championship with smart tactics for skill development, contract negotiations and free agency moves that'll boost your roster without blowing your salary cap.
.Trade Your Way to the Top: Learn the dos-and don'ts-when it comes to trading players and draft picks with other NFL teams.
.Powerful Scouting Reports: In-depth profiles and depth charts of all 32 NFL teams as well a top-secret glimpse at the game's hottest future draft prospects!
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