The Virtual Gridiron

by Doug Smith

http://web.archive.org/web/20000613073113/www.ed2go.com/news/football.html

As the 1999 NFL season winds down, I find myself pensive. I will no longer set my alarm for 9AM Sunday morning and get up to watch the pre-game shows and then the morning and afternoon games. I will no longer have to scream at the TV  when the receiver drops the pass, the running back fumbles the hand-off, or the quarterback loses ten yards after being sacked. I no longer have to wash my football jersey to have it ready for the Sunday battles royal. My Sundays will be free...maybe that's a good thing! You should venture out of your Lazy Boy and away from the TV and look into the world of the NFL online. You'd be surprised at the number of resources for football fans out there, as well as the advances in technology and interactivity. 

For football on the Web, it all starts at NFL.com, the king of the football sites. NFL.com features up to the minute NFL news on all the players, teams, coaches, and happenings throughout the league. Every team has its own area on the site. In addition to the news value of the site, it's a virtual encyclopedia of the NFL filled with standings, stats, films, and images. You can also get up-to-the-minute game updates while an actual game is being played

The interactivity of the site is also a lure. There are weekly polls for users to participate in, and trivia quizzes, as well as live chats, and Q&A sessions with players and coaches throughout the season. During games, you can play along by trying to predict the play called by the team possessing the ball. Wives and girlfriends aren't left out here either. There's also an NFL For Her section.     

ESPN also has an excellent football site. This site is setup similarly to NFL.com, with many of the same features and information. 

Then there's Profootballweekly.com. One feature I really like here are the "Way We Hear It" rumors. You can get an inside scoop on some of the rumors making the rounds related to your favorite teams and players.  

CNNSI also features comprehensive news, coverage, features, stats, and information. 

For all you ever wanted to know about the ultimate football game, the Super Bowl, go to Superbowl.com. Here you'll find information on the upcoming bowl game in Atlanta, Georgia; Super Bowl history; a message board; and an online football game that uses Shockwave.

Don't forget the Bud Bowl, the beer world's equivalent of the Super Bowl.  This annual battle between Bud and Bud light beer runs during commercial breaks from the Super Bowl every January. 

The NFL Hall of Fame even has its own site. Here, you can find out more about the NFL Hall of Fame, its inductees and candidates, and the overall selection process itself. There are also sections on the History of Pro Football and the yearly Hall of Fame game. 

For those of us who suffer through the off-season and those other "lesser" sports, there's NFL Europe, which is growing in popularity as a diversion and proving ground for some of the NFL's players. 

I haven't even mentioned the fantasy football sites out there, where you are the coach and you coach your own NFL team using the current season's team and player stats.  Fantasy-football.net even has a $100,000 challenge! CNNSI has its own fantasy football league as well. 

How can you talk about football without talking about office pools and betting in Vegas? Marathon Handicapping can help you with picks, predictions, and Vegas betting lines. To manage your own office football pool, go to The Football Pool Manager.

If you're an armchair quarterback like myself, you can pass the time between seasons with Gameday for the Playstation and NFL Fever (whose slogan is "If you're not already single, you will be") for the PC. Playing these video games is almost like being on the field yourself--minus the blood, broken bones, and concussions, that is! 

You'd be surprised at the realism of these games, with actual team rosters, playbooks, player moves, instant replays, great sound effects, and hard hits. NFL Fever even gives you the option of updating your game rosters as the actual team rosters change. Every season it's like having a whole new game!

All in all, football fans, I guess we don't have to despair now that January is upon us. We've got the playoffs and the Super Bowl. Though we do have to wait several months to pre-season, there's plenty out there to keep us busy and satiate our love of the only sport that matters!