Well this is where the real action is. You've got your rules, you've thrashed out your modifications, additions and adjustments, you've created your cards and set up your teams. You've decided on your matchup. Now it's time to play! I hope this section won't become a glorified report of my solitaire experiences, so I would ask anyone interested in any kind of game whether by email or over a live chat window to let me know, as nothing beats the true unpredictability of the human opponent.

There's nothing quite like face to face play over a tabletop, but sadly for most of us this is an all too rare option. Thankfully SPFBWin has given us a great way to play solitaire although there's something about setting up the teams and turning over those FACs that keeps the traditional method as my preferred option for those special games.

When Alex Mittermeyer finishes his work with SPFBWin and we can all play over the internet and choose teams from any era it truly will be a great opportunity to hook up for some proper league action, but until that time I know there are plenty of us out there who are keen to give it a go and do the best we can via something like ICQ where you can type in real time text and resolve the game that way. Sure you have to alternate who gets to draw the cards, unless you can get a 3rd party to referee but we're all grown ups here, and I think it would be great fun.

I'm really interested in recreating great games and seasons from the past, and particularly playoff and superbowl reruns as well as pitting together dominant teams from different years together to decide who the best of the best are. Many people also like to throw players into a pot and draft their own teams and play their own championships that way, so really there's no limit to where we can go with this, only our imaginations. If you don't have time to play a solo game yourself why not take a look at the famous scenarios and see if you feel like recreating famous last gasp drives that became part of the great history of pro football.

I think if we can get a few of us together and agree to play one game per month or even two months we could easily set up an annual tournament with some kind of Championship game at the end of it and be able to stick with it. Please get in touch if you are interested, that would be awesome. We could have regional based conferences too to keep the time zone problems under control. Also, I am really interested in getting to know about your ideas for great scenarios and games and seasons, I've listed some here but I am still digging out my old records and trying to remember where the great moments came, there's so many to choose from. If you have a favourite game or moment then send it in and we can include a scenario and play it out.

 

I'll be listing here all the game reruns I undertake, that includes solitaire play in the traditional way as well as SPFBWin games - although once we have a print to file/web page option in there I will be undertaking entire season replays! I'd like to set up some challenge matches between the people who visit this site so let's hear from you if you are interested. Nothing quite like reading a full play by play with the box scores and stats to go with it!

It would be great to have some kind of league set up but I don't know how feasible it will be until we get network play in something like SPFBWin or my proposed GameLog system. Direct play over the network can take a fair amount of time and it takes real commitment for players to say they will get games played no matter what. Perhaps a relaxed schedule with everyone agreeing to meet up and play once a month over ICQ or similar chat program would work, maybe with an independent referee or just take it in turns each half to deal with cards. It would be awesome to go through some kind of draft process especially if its limited so you have to pick really carefully instead of being allowed to have the top players in each position. We'll see how many people come on board via this site before worrying about this but some kind of annual competition would be superb even if there's just a few of us. If we regionalised the conferences, United Kingdom, Europe, USA etc it would alleviate the time zone problems and add a bit of extra twist I think. Let me know if you are interested

We all remember the great moments in football history, "The Drive", "The Catch", "The Fumble", "The Immaculate Reception", "The Hail Mary", well here is your chance to replay those moments. Can you help Joe Montana guide the 49ers down the field as the clock runs out to win the Superbowl against the Bengals. Can you change the fate of Kevin Dyson as his last gasp lunge falls inches short as time expired in the Superbowl against the Rams. Can you keep cool as John Elway and force overtime in that famous playoff clash with Cleveland. Rather than playing an entire game, instructions and player cards are given for a specific scenario to match these great moments, giving you the chance to see how you measure up in those do-or-die clutch situations that became part of football lore. What would be great is setting up Scenario Challenges whereby different players can take on the Elway Drive and see how far all of you get. How many tries will it take before someone matches his heroics?

Of course, some games deserve a full game replay. Maybe you want to relive the whole game that produced the Drive or the Catch, or how about Buffalo's incredible 35 point comeback in the second half against the hapless Oilers. How about that classic playoff clash between San Diego and Miami in 1982, or the Ice Bowl, or the Heidi Bowl. There are so many great games to choose from and my aim is to replay all of them, in solitaire play if I have to, but hopefully I'll find some opponents who will be interested in playing these out over the internet with the full range of human instinct and emotion becoming a part of every play. There'll be famous regular season games, playoffs, Monday night football games included as well as the Pro-Bowl games which tend to be a lot more exciting in Statis Pro than in real life ;-) Also I am interested in replays of games where famous performances or landmarks were set.

Games don't come much bigger than the superbowl, and I am going to stage replays of every single Superbowl, again hoping to have some human opponents but in sollitaire play if I have to. It will be great to see how things differ, and how many things stay the same. I've got a great little book on the history of the superbowl including notes and quotes and I'm really looking forward to avenging that 1983 Superbowl defeat on the Redskins by those Raiders! I think there's also a great opportunity to have a little mini tournament including a "Best of" compilation of players for the teams who dominated in various eras, such as the 1970s Dolphins, Steelers and Cowboys, the 80s Redskins and 49ers, the 90s 49ers and Cowboys etc. Maybe we can answer who was the best of the best. Although it's hard to compare eras we should be able to give it a try and see who were the top Superbowl winners in each decade. For my money the best Superbowl teams per decade could be the 1966 Packers, the 1972 perfect Dolphins or 1974 Steelers, the 1985 Bears, the 1992 Cowboys and for the 2000's I might even pick the 2002 Buccaneers

Last update: 20th February, 2003 © Lee Harris