(NEXSTAR) – Johnny Manziel used to get his plays called in from the NFL sideline in Cleveland or at Texas A&M, but now he’s waiting on you to direct the huddle.
The former Heisman Trophy winner is the biggest name in the new Fan Controlled Football (FCF) League, which takes the front office fan experience of fantasy football right onto the field, where fans are actually picking the plays in real-time.
“From a mechanics perspective, fans choose between four plays,” Founder Patrick Dees told VENN, a partner of Nexstar Media, which owns our station. “All plays were ones we wanted to be fun, so you can’t choose a bad play.”
The games are played in seven-on-seven format, removing linemen, among other players. When a team is on offense, fans can vote between running or passing. Fans then vote between four play options. The play with the most votes is called and run on the field.
Manziel scrambled for 39 yards on his opening drive last week for the Zappers, one of four inaugural teams for the FCF league. Manziel later left the game with an injury, and his team ended up dropping the opener to the appropriately-named Beasts, co-owned by former NFL star Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch.
Adding to the intrigue, most of the league’s players return to a draft pool each week and to be selected to their weekly teams. Manziel is one of eight “franchise” players who will stay with his team through the season.
Games are played on Saturdays. FCF uses drones, live stream helmet cams and 180 degree VR cams to create a video game-like experience.
“It’s football reimagined for the digital age,” Dees told VENN. “Instead of 11-on-11 [games] it’s seven-on-seven on a 50 yeard field that’s 35 yards wide. It’s fast.”
On Saturday, the Beasts will take on the Wild Aces in a matchup of undefeated teams, while Johnny Manziel and the Zappers take on the Glacier Boyz. Games can be streamed live 8 Eastern Time, 5 Pacific on the VENN Gaming & Lifestyle page of this website.