Man, I love Madden 2003--if you don't care, stop reading--Andrea, feel free to pass this on to Scott. :) I've got the settings figured out just so, so that all the games I actually play vs. the CPU are close, nail-biters--making it fun whether I win or lose. I don't romp like I did with the default settings.

Anyway, I've been running a Bears franchise. But I've just been pulling the strings--I do the personnel moves and then simulate the seasons. I've been quite successful. I benched Jim Miller in Year Two in favor of Patrick Ramsey, whom I traded for (as the Bears almost did this year). He started slowly, but by Year Five, he's a Pro Bowl player. In Year Two I drafted a DT named Fernando Vanelli. He teamed up with Ted Washington for the next three years, until Washington finally retired. In Year Three, Vanelli registered 19 sacks! And this is simulation, so it's not like I figured out how to get sacks every time. He's obviously a Pro Bowl player also.

Anyway, I went to the Super Bowl in Year Five vs. the Chargers. Now, I HAD to actually play the Super Bowl, because, well, it's the Super Bowl. I went in, fell behind 6-0 on two field goals because Ramsey (I) threw a pick on my very first offensive play. But then I marched down the field mostly with Anthony Thomas (Pro Bowler) and scored, going up 7-6. It stayed that way, and I was running down the clock at the end of the game when A-Train ripped off a 27-yard TD run to lock up the Super Bowl win 14-6. Woohoo!

I worried after that because I had three players holdout in the offseason. I was able to keep most of my guys on the squad and put together a solid 11-5 NFC North title in Year Six, despite losing Ramsey for the season early on. That left me with Kliff Kingsbury, who I drafted (after importing the draft class) in Year Three (technically one year later than reality, I know). Kingsbury did just fine, spelled by Chris Redman, who I signed just in case. The playoffs though, would prove to be tougher. In the divisional playoff (simulated), I lost MLB Brian Urlacher and SS Mike Brown for the rest of the playoffs to injury. Vanelli (that DT up there) was already questionable. I was headed to St. Louis to take on the 15-1 Rams. I didn't expect to win. But my Bears pulled out a victory. I was headed to the Super Bowl again...vs. the 15-1 Colts this time, still without Urlacher and Brown, but Vanelli came back. I took a 10-7 lead into the half, and went up 17-7. But the Colts stormed back to tie it with 2:00 remaining in the game. That's when I marched the Bears with Thomas and Kingsbury (who had two interceptions on stupid passes by me already) down to about the 20 yard line. I kicked what ended up being the game-winner (after a failed Hail Mary by the Colts) to give the Bears back-to-back Super Bowl championships with a 20-17 win.

I guess only in Bears' fans dreams, eh? But I am really happy that I've been able to be a great general manager and player when it came down to it in the Super Bowls. Now we'll see if I can three-peat...I won't hold my breath though... :)

Thanks for listening...hope it psyches you all up to take your team all the way... :)