An enjoyable look at the NFL's big day
599333
While not exactly a pieced of hard-hitting investigative journalism, Williams' book is one that most NFL fans will find enjoyable.  It's not to cause much in the way of controversy because of its non-critical tone towards players, agents, coaches, and just about everyone involved in the draft, but it's still a good look at the process involved when a player moves from college to the pro ranks.

Focusing on several players - among them Chris Canty, Fred Gibson and Ray Willis - Williams examines the events that take place from the time a player "graduates" from school (many drop out immediately after their team's bowl game) up through the draft itself.  Besides the players, Williams also looks at the role played by many others, including coaches, compliance directors, families, agents, and teammates.

The book's strength is that Williams goes lightly on all the participants.  It's easy to portray agents as sharks, or schools as taking advantage of the kids, but Williams sticks to facts without adding too much of his own spin.  That's not to say that he doesn't criticize certain people or tactics, but he's more interested in passing the story along to the reader for them to make their own judgments.  It's this nonjudgmental approach that allows us to draw our own observations about featured coaches like Al Groh, or agents like Jack Scharf and Pat Dye, Jr.  They may not always come across in the most positive light, but they're at least given a fair chance to speak for themselves without being judged by the author.

If there's a weakness to the book, it's that Williams spreads himself a little thin.  With trying to cover the roles played by everyone listed above, the book can often seem scattered or presented in a non-linear way.  When dates jump back and forth, it can be a little confusing, especially from a book geared towards a very specific date.  However, it's difficult to fault the author too much for trying to present so much information without loading us down with a 500-page work.

This isn't a subject that has been covered often in such great detail, so Williams' work should be a worthwhile read for any fan of the game.  For those of us who spend much of the off-season worrying about our team's draft-day prospects, this is an essential read.  A title that will be enjoyable for any NFL fan, this one is recommended.
1741476
The story of the Mannings ebbs and flows around the football pursuits of father Archie and sons Cooper, Peyton and Eli; however, the book reveals much more than a football family.  The Mannings definitely shows three paths to the NFL and 4 super bowls, MVP's and All-Pro awards.  Readers see the incredible dedication of all three Mannings who played in the NFL that complemented their athletic abilities.  We also see the grief and acceptance when the oldest son Cooper realized he could no longer play football after accepting a football scholarship with great expectations.

The story begins with Archie's family and shares much about his dad and mom.  This reveals much about the roots and foundations of the Manning family that becomes the focus of the book.  In addition to being sports fanatics, including mom Olivia, they are fanatics about their family.  As readers suffer through hearing about Archie's difficult decade on the field with the New Orleans Saints, we wonder like so many others why such a talented player stayed at such a miserable team.  We learn that it was for his family who were all happy in New Orleans.  We hear about Archie telling his sons every night how much he loved them.  This love and encouragement spills over into the relationships between the sons.

Prior to reading this book, I knew as much about the Mannings as any average football fan not following any of the Manning teams in particular.  I enjoyed reading about Archie and his family and the way he played the game and approached it and all things with his family.  I'm sure there are gaps in the details but for a book this wide in scope I think it was wisely selective in its depth and scope of story.

Of course, the writing about football games and victories and losses is thrilling, too.  We get something of an inside look into the quarterbacks' lives on the field and in preparation for the games.  I think this is an intriguing and inspiring book.  The author does delve into the controversy about the incident between Peyton and the athletic trainer while he was at Tennessee that again made national news recently.  It is good to hear the full story and see that this wasn't an assault or intentional affront but a sophomoric mistake between teammates.  It was a lesson learned for Peyton.

I recommend this book for all football fans, Manning fans and fans of the family as source of life.
493573
A Tradition Restored was a fun book for me to read on the USC Trojans 2003 National Championship season. For someone like myself who witnessed the Trojans 2003 season by watching just about every game they played on TV, this book was a trip down memory lane for me.

When you write a book on a National Championship or Super Bowl championship season (this book written by various Southern California newspapers), you're supposed to include game summaries, photos, and statistics. A Tradition Restored did all that, and that's why I enjoyed the book.

Pros of the book: Well written game summaries, well written articles on the ups and downs of the '03 Trojans, and a gang of cool color photos. This book really gave you a mental and visual picture of what the Trojans' 2003 season was like.

Cons of the book: I honestly found nothing wrong with this book and I read this book cover to cover, all 160 pages.

In conclusion, I was satisfied with this book. And like I said before, this book was a serious trip down memory lane for me. A good part of my early 20s was spent studying the Trojans' magical 2002-2005 era. Good book right here.
185481
Great inside perspective of the NFL that, as a lifetime fan, I enjoyed, despite finding the reality more unsettling than I expected. Nate's honesty, writing skills and sense of humor make it a great fast paced read I recomend for all NFL fans.
1235694
I thought it was an enjoyable read. Being an older football fan I saw the parcell years from the outside and it was interesting to see some of the behind the scenes happenings. As a patriots fan I found the belicheck parcells dynamic interesting as well
3456974
Fast, furious, one day read on playing at the bottom end of the NFL food chain. If you like pro football, BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT!  It's that good. I don't even remember what made me purchase this and I didn't read it immediately but it was a great find. This is of a D III player who with some assistance from Bill Walsh manages to find his way into the league. BARELY. A short stint with the 49ers leads to a career at Denver under Mike Shanahan. The strength of this book is the DETAILED description of the life, injuries and feelings of a lower level NFL pro including a stint in NFL Europe.

I'll skip much of the story for you to enjoy yourself. But let me reiterate that in addition to being very impressed with his descriptive writing and detailed account of pro football this is a fast and fun read!
1597371
I picked this up for Christmas 2013.  I watched all the games save the Wild Card game vs. Indianapolis, which turned out to be Ray Lewis' final home game and the beginning of his final ride, which culminated with his second Super Bowl Championship.  Having these original game broadcasts, in full 1080p high definition video, as they happened during the 2012 postseason, is a fine time capsule en route to any team's title chase and subsequent championship. Re-watching Super Bowl XXXXVII the morning of Super Bowl XXXXVIII helped me to prepare for the action as a lead up that much more!!!  This franchise is one which I respect so much that I decided to pick up, as a companion piece of sorts, besides the Super Bowl XXXXVII Championship Blu-ray Disc, the Greatest Games Series of the 2000 Ravens who went 12-4, and then on a defensive-oriented postseason tangent which culminated in their first Super Bowl championship, winning Super Bowl XXXV 12 years earlier.  Each of these games are full of great memories of that particular time period and I am enough of an NFL game to own as many of these culminations as possible.  Very well done indeed, NFL.  Thanks.
355165
There aren't many opportunities to get first-hand insight into the front office operations of an NFL team - let alone the Raiders - and this book certainly provides that and more!  Not only do Amy's stories make for an extremely interesting read, but they also combine humor and life lessons that can be applied outside of the realm football.  As a fan interested in the business side of sports, this was a no-brainer to grab off the Kindle e-shelf, but it would certainly make a great read for anyone looking for a new book, interested in business, overcoming obstacles in the workplace, or wanting to relive one last Al Davis "f-bomb".  Overall, very fun and enjoyable read!
4517677
Great book. Picked it up and knocked it out in 2 days. Very entertaining read, and really gives you the feel of what its like to be in an NFL huddle. Since ti covers his 6 years in the league pretty quickly it doesn't go into a ton of depth during each season, which is both good and bad. It keeps the pacing of the book very brisk, but sometimes leaves you wanting more detail. Regardless, I would highly recommend to any football fan.
4622271
This book is a pretty typical sports book.  It was fun to learn a little more about the greatest Viking QB on some of the greatest NFL teams to never win the Super Bowl.  I was just a little kid, so I didn't know some of the drama (especially the early years) that went on.

The best chapters are the ones written by Tark himself.  The Klobuchar chapters tended to be too wordy and it was painful to cut through.  I'm sure he was trying to make it epic but it was just over the top at some points.

Tark has good insights on football, business and personal life.  His stories are fun and easy reading.

The book is a bit dated now but if you like history it has that sense about it.  Especially when Tark speaks of the extravagant salaries of the pro football players.  Wow, how time has changed.
635037
NFL Unplugged by Anthony Gargano is not for the weak of stomach. Football fans will find their assumption confirmed as to how brutal the pro game truly is.

Pros:
NFL players speaking in their own words about the price and love of the game. The player interviews offer candid insight into what I watch every Sunday. Gives true meaning when a player is listed as "Questionable" or "80%". The next time there's a pile up for a fumble recovery or determination on if a running back scored, I'll know that the inner game is happening--finger breaking, gouging, choking, pinching, and other actions in the name of anything goes to win. Gargano filters nothing.

Cons:
Be prepared to skim large parts of the book as the author goes off on tangents about people that he makes little connections to the NFL and the game.

If you're expecting insights into what happens on the field and locker rooms, skip to the middle of the book. The author seems to revel in his "access" into the NFL. Next Man Up by John Feinstien does a much better job in following a season, but filters out the graphic details of the stories told by men in this book. Wish both were merged into one.

Read the 1st and/or 2nd chapter before buying the book. What you see in the first chapter is what you can expect throughout. Skimming, I found great gems about the game as Garagano has known athletes tell their stories. Those interviews, ironically in their words, is what kept me plowing through the book. Worth reading if you can borrow it from the library or friend or purchase at a significant discount, which should happen fairly soon.
1569658
"Sleepless Nights: THE NFL: A BUSINESS," by Marques Ogden. I listened to the audio book, which was excellent. This story tells the brutal truth of the hardship of getting INTO the NFL, BEING in the NFL, and LEAVING the NFL. Highlighting the incredible drive, sacrifice and overcoming the odds for Marques Ogden to achieve his dream of being drafted into the NFL, overcoming the loss of his father, and becoming the man he is today. It truly is a remarkable story, and though parts were sad to hear, it was still a fun read.

I especially liked the first part of the book, with his background and how he looked up to his older brother, Jonathan, who also played in the NFL (and who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013). By the end of the book, one comes away with a rather different perspective of what professional athletes have to deal with on a daily basis; People out to cheat them out of their money, friends who aren't actually friends, and the loss of millions of dollars. On the other side of that is a story of friendship where those who really do care (including his wife) put him above themselves, enabling him to succeed in a world where success is often thought to only be found through pure luck.

As a small business owner from Kansas City, I give this book very high marks. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and finished it in one evening. Even if you're not a big NFL fan, this book helped me appreciate someone who has not only been in the highly admired position of being a pro football player, but is also a decent person.
4792099
I have been a fan of the gameday series ever since I got my first PS1 and Gameday 99. Now, with Gameday 2003, the content of the game is remarkable. There is no doubt in my mind that it is a very fun and exciting game. However, even little details are noticeable and may take away from the game if you're a big buff football fan/player (like me!). Though it is true the CPU AI is at its best, there are still a few little things that make it kinda dull:
- CPU does not down the ball on a kickoff when the ball is kicked deep into its endzone.
- The fair catch feature sucks.
- The reaction time i think is slower than some previous gameday games.
- Like every gameday game, there is still a pass-happy cpu, which makes it difficult to get a high ranking on pass defense, but an incredible first place rank against the run.
- Worst of all, I think (like in madden) there should've been a challenged feature. I mean I replay my plays and see calls that should not have been made and there's nothing i can do about it.
- I have gone a whole season and more than a half, and still have not had any injuries nor penalties (and they are on high), which i'll take but it takes away from the realism of the game. The only penalties I've had were pass interference, and offsides. and once in every like million (exaggerating) they'll be a personal foul call. As for the injuries, the only time they happen is when you work your OFFENSIVE player WHO HAS THE BALL to hard. I have had no defensive injuries except when i recover the ball and run and then once in a while a hamstring pull will come up.
Despite this, the game is good. I think for next year though, they should incorporate more realism into the game.
1950217
Most histories and biographies concentrate on the exceptionally successful.  Its refreshing to read an account by wide receiver/tight end Nate Jackson such as Slow Getting Up, who came out of a minor college program to survive a few injury-riddled years with two high-profile NFL franchises.

For the reader who isn't a hardcore NFL fan, the book is breezy and gives an honest portrait of both the physical costs of a pro football career and just how tenuous it is in terms of financial rewards.  The physical costs are apparent  the portion of the book dedicated to Jacksons hard work recovering from injuries is far longer than the account of actual game action.  Jacksons financial status isn't covered in a comprehensive way but lets just say that he isn't a rich man now.  In fact, the average NFL player has a career lasting three seasons, while Jackson had a 6-year long career, so he has been more successful than average.  If you aren't a star, this isn't a lucrative profession.

For the hardcore NFL fan I am one - there are some very interesting details that come out of Jacksons book, besides the human story:

- It shows once again what a talented scout legendary 49ers head honcho Bill Walsh was.  Walsh picked Jackson out of a minor college team and brought him on board to the 49ers as an undrafted free agent (i.e. the lowliest way to enter the NFL).  Jackson proceeded to build a career as a combo WR/TE in the West Coast system run by the 49ers and a modified one run by the Mike Shanahan Broncos.

- As such, Jackson was one ofthose fringe players that fill a particular role in a prominent coachs roster building (in this case, Shanahans).  Jackson was able to hold on to this job because he was both exceptionally professional and because Shanahan was a successful head coach who lasted a long time in Denver.  Many players play similar roles for less successful coaches; they barely get the time to learn the playbook before they are out of the league.  So Jackson was lucky!

- Mike Shanahan always looks like he is about to burst an artery when on the sideline.  It was very interesting to read about how well he ran the Broncos organization and how much he was liked by his colleagues, especially by veteran players with experience in different teams.  Slow Getting Up raised my esteem for Shanahan considerably.

- It did the opposite for Eric Mangini, the overpromoted one-time coach of the Jets and then the Browns.  His 2009 training camp sounds like an insane asylum and explains why he has been unable to find a place in the NFL after the Browns fiasco.

- Jacksons account of the lead-up to the big 2005 AFC Championship game in Denver is incredibly interesting.  This is the game in which the Bill Cowher-led Steelers came into Mile High and romped over the Broncos in a major upset, part of the Steelers championship run.  Jackson, besieged by relatives all week long and unable to focus on the game, walked into the Broncos locker room prior to the game and immediately knew his team was going to lose, based on the body language of his teammates.  Jackson also claims that he always knew whether the Broncos were going to win or lose in the locker room before the game.

- Steroids: Or lack of them.  After some public comments by ex-players pointing to widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs, I perked up when Jackson writes that he not only never used them during his NFL career but never saw anyone use them.  Its a notable data point.

- Finally, Jacksons comments about how after a couple of seasons he stopped listening to the position coaches and started watching the really successful players  in his case, the excellent vet WR Rod Smith  to learn how to play and practice.  You always read about the importance of veteran leadership in NFL teams.  Jacksons well explains why.

Slow Getting Up is a worthwhile, entertaining read for the NFL fan.  I have marked it down to 4 stars because it is highly personal and doesnt extrapolate from Jacksons own experience at any point.  But its better than the average NFL memoir.
3868243
The most compelling aspect to this game, for me, is the detailed progression you make if you create your own head coach character. It very much has a RPG feel to me, because the choices I make with my progression directly affect the way my team performs on Sunday. I'll highlight the best things I like about this game:

1. The Draft. Throughout the season you send out your scouts to evaluate the various prospects. Want to concentrate on an overlooked small-school guy? You can. Then you bring guys in for individual workouts to unlock more player information so you can decide if they are a good fit. Then you go through the draft, trading up or down to get the guy you want. It's exciting to put in the work and snag a potential superstar with a late-round draft choice.

2. The level of detail and control. This game accounts for EVERYTHING that a head coach deals with. Player attitudes. Injuries. Offensive/Defensive schemes. You can create your own plays. You can call the plays in the actual game. You deal with signing free agents and resigning players. Will you progress through the draft, or sign big free agents and pay their hefty price? You can hire/fire assistant coaches. I could go on and on. If you are a huge football fan, you can pore over the numbers all day, and because you build your team from the ground up, you get heavily invested in the outcomes.

3. The out-of-game announcers add to the narrative. The stories that Adam Schechter tells about the potential draftees really add to the realism, about the off season antics of the Heisman hopeful or the sleeper RB at a tiny school. It's great.

This game is not perfect. There are some bugs. But overall, it's an amazingly addictive game with a ton of potential. If you are a hardcore football fan, get this game, take control of your hometown team, and lead them to the Super Bowl!
3125417
Easy to read and entertaining if you watched NFL back when
players played "hurt." Probably not recommended for Sunday
School kids, but, if you can stand a dozen four letter words and
a couple of brief sexcapades, you will enjoy this book.
Some people are born leaders and Conrad was one of the best
in the NFL based on the strong side line statistics on which he played.
1670029
This book isn't for everyone, not surprisingly. Hell, I'm not even sure it's for football fans. But it is damn entertaining. Sure, the writing isn't Tolstoy and it wasn't some in-depth, undercover journalism piece like some were expecting. But it's an honest one-man perspective of one of the few jobs that the nation is obsessed with. Where millions of people are watching you and yet, you can still end up being 'Anonymous' and get paid bank for it.

I admit at first his pessimism and sometimes whininess were tough to get through. It could even be contagious at times, but so could the hopeful and powerful moments he takes the readers through. It reads like a journal, which I don't mind- it's got 'Confessions' in the title, I was prepared! His stories were a refreshing new take on football. Something HBO's 'Hard Knocks' tries to get across, but I've always felt fell short.

His stories also had me laughing, constantly. He's a smart ass and a know-it-all. Probably my favorite part of this book is his depiction of how his fellow teammates, coaches and he himself developed over the course of the book.

Overall I wanted to read more. The Epilogue went over some things that happened the following year, but I was already hooked. What did this wise-cracking, pessimist-who despite his best efforts, can't let the game go-have to say about this new year in the league? What about that next year, Johnny?