The NFL Head Coach series has come a long way since its debut on the original Xbox and the PlayStation 2. The original game was met with lukewarm reception, critically and saleswise; thus, the appearance of a sequel was seemingly never a certainty. As it happened, a second shot for the series was announced earlier this year, and we got our first peek at the game at the beginning of the year. Since then, we've spent a good deal of time with an older preview game to get a feel for the game's updated look and feel, as well as the sheer depth that looks to be the game's hallmark. At this week's EA Sports press event, we had a chance to play an even more recent build of the game to see what features will be in the final game that we hadn't yet experienced.

　　Play as a real NFL coach or start your own coach from scratch.

　　While there weren't any blockbuster feature announcements for Head Coach--we've known what to expect from the game in that sense for a while now--we did get a chance to check out some improvements to the presentation that should help the overall presentation of the game as you play it. After all, NFL Head Coach 09 is a game of information first and foremost; how much data you're getting from the game on your own team and your opponents, as well as how that information is presented is key to how much fun you will have with the game. Consider playbook knowledge as an example. A big chunk of your success on game day will be the level of familiarity each player on your team has with every play in your playbook.

　　When you're in a game, a meter will pop up after each play call, indicating the level of familiarity both teams have with their specific play call. It's an easy visual cue not only for your own team, but also for scouting what to expect from the defense. If your opponent has called a play in which he feels very confident, it will be difficult to find much success against it, unless you call a play in which your team is similarly familiar.

　　Of course, keeping your team familiar with the playbook will be one of your many tasks as a head coach. You'll be able to improve playbook knowledge by focusing on specific plays during your weekly practices (and the plays that your team has the least knowledge of will be the first ones to pop up in the practice schedule menu, incidentally). In addition, when it comes to scouting your players' weekly matchups, you'll be able to access a screen that will give you full breakdowns on your opponent's play-calling tendencies. You'll be able to see what your opponent calls on practically any down and distance, as well as check out your own tendencies too.

　　The NFL Draft is just the beginning--you'll be making critical decisions all year long in this game.

　　As producers told us, these scouting menus are based off of the real playbooks and tendencies of the teams in the NFL. This means that a wide-open team like New England will play completely differently from the conservative, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offensive schemes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Interestingly, as you play multiple seasons in the game, a team's characteristics might change over time, depending on the talent it recruits on and off the field.

　　With all the features in place, it's now a matter of tuning the game and fixing bugs until its release as part of the 20th anniversary edition of Madden NFL 09. Recently, EA Sports announced the game would also be released as a separate product in early September. We hope to get our hands on an updated build of the game in the coming weeks and will keep you up to date with the latest information on the game.