NFL Books

ROBBO7

Anyone got any recommendations?

Have just finished Next Man Up by Feinstein which was ok in parts but a bit over the top in its fawning to the Ravens management.

Have Badasses next but am looking for any other worthy mentions to keep me tied over until the new season.

Masked Man

Education of a Coach by David Halberstam

Patriot Reign by Michael Holley

These are very good.

I also have The Blueprint (Pats again) and The Draft. Blueprint is good. I never got into the draft but it's supposed to be alright.

I'm obviously a Patriots fan, but the books are good.

Haven't read it but The Blind Side is supposed to be very good. Same guy that wrote Moneyball, so it's probably very good. Also read Moneyball.

edit: also look here

JaMarcus Hustle

Anytime this question pops up, I recommend the same book every time.

The Greatest Game Ever by Mark Bowden.

It's about the 1958 Giants vs Colts game and how it propelled football into the mainstream spotlight. It's a cracking read, full of background stories on every character involved (Johnny Unitas, Sam Huff and Raymond Berry having particularly interesting tales) and Bowden of course is a critically acclaimed author (of Black Hawk Down fame). Fantastic read, so engrossing.

JonnyF

have read a few good ones, you'll be very limited with your options unless you go to amazon

Boys will be Boys by Jeff Pearlman, all about the glory days of the cowboys in the 90s. Very funny and interesting, maybe a bit light on in depth football stuff but a really good read.

The Ones Who Hit the Hardestby Chad Millman, covers the rivalry of the blue collar Steelers and galactico Cowboys in the 70s. Really good book.

Paper Lion by George Plimpton - this is an excellent one. In the 60s Plimpton went to training camp with the Detroit Lions, taking part in drills as their 4th string QB and even getting a run in a preseason game. Really well written and gives a great insight into the old NFL.

UCD AFC

I just finished War Room, about how Belichick brought through his staff at Patriots and how he has managed the Patriots in general. It also focuses on Scott Pioli and Dimitroff, two guys he brought through who have moved on from the Patriots. It's nothing outstanding but an interesting read.

mikemac1

Brian Billick is a fountain of knowledge of all things NFL

His book is very good
http://www.amazon.com/More-than-Game-Glorious-Uncertain/dp/1439109184

Covers lots of stuff, the rise of different systems, how difficult it is to find a franchise QB, future of the game, expansion overseas

davetherave

Take your eye off the ball by Pat Kirwan.

A great read, but definitely for the more knowledgeable/advanced fan.

Total Access: A Journey to the Center of the NFL Universe by Rich Eisen
Not a very serious book. It's kind of like a year long diary..ish of Rich and the NFL. Shows you insight into owners meetings, the draft, training camps and all that.

adrian522

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Anytime this question pops up, I recommend the same book every time.

The Greatest Game Ever by Mark Bowden.

It's about the 1958 Giants vs Colts game and how it propelled football into the mainstream spotlight. It's a cracking read, full of background stories on every character involved (Johnny Unitas, Sam Huff and Raymond Berry having particularly interesting tales) and Bowden of course is a critically acclaimed author (of Black Hawk Down fame). Fantastic read, so engrossing.

kindle edition of this is only £6.19.

cheaper than the amazon.com price. Just bought it there now, looking forward to reading it.

Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Best-Game-Ever-ebook/dp/B0089EHQYC/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1341063224&sr=1-2

mikemac1

Masked Man wrote: »

Haven't read it but The Blind Side is supposed to be very good. Same guy that wrote Moneyball,

Both are great reads

If you listen to audiobooks you'll find them on the internet easily
Audiobooks are a great option, can listen to them down the gym, commuting,etc


Another is Dark Side of the Game by Falcons linebacker Tim Green. He was a 1st round pick back in the eighties
Behind the scenes look at lockerrooms and race (controversial!), drugs, painkillers, the draft, money, agents, women who try to extort and blackmail players, contracts and other gritty stuff

Again if you listen the audiobooks I can email it, it's pretty short and a small file

jack presley

If you're into the history of the game and knowing more about how NFL came to being the biggest sport in America, you should read - America's Game by Michael MacCambridge. That's my favourite American Football book.

Other good ones I'd recommend which haven't been mentioned by others:

The Code (Ross Bernstein) - which is a book about the unwritten rules in the sport like what goes on in the locker room, in pile-ups on the pitch, in training camp etc.

Take Your Eye off the Ball (Pat Kirwan) - If you're into the X's and O's, this is the book for you as it goes into schemes, plays and tactics etc.

A Few Seconds of Panic (Stefan Fatsis) - Some journalist spends a training camp/pre-season with the Denver Broncos trying out as a kicker.

If you like College Football a couple of good ones are:

Dixieland Delight (Clay Travis) - Writer spends the College season travelling around the SEC going to a game at each stadium

The Draft (Pete Williams) - Behind the scenes for players looking to make the jump from college to pro.

davetherave

davetherave wrote: »

Take your eye off the ball by Pat Kirwan.

A great read, but definitely for the more knowledgeable/advanced fan.

jack presley wrote: »

Other good ones I'd recommend which haven't been mentioned by others:
Take Your Eye off the Ball (Pat Kirwan) - If you're into the X's and O's, this is the book for you as it goes into schemes, plays and tactics etc.

:o
It is a quality book though, and deserves to be mentioned twice.

Orando Broom

Boys Will Be Boys. One of the best sports books of all time

BigBadRob83

UCD AFC wrote: »

I just finished War Room, about how Belichick brought through his staff at Patriots and how he has managed the Patriots in general. It also focuses on Scott Pioli and Dimitroff, two guys he brought through who have moved on from the Patriots. It's nothing outstanding but an interesting read.

Good call UCD AFC.
War Room (Michael Holley) is a very interesting read, almost like a book version of a documentary. Come away from it with good idea of the Belichick football philosophy, team-building ideas, etc.
Have definitely influenced the way I look at NFL roster decisions, draft day, and more.

me-skywalker

With repeating this by other posters, you must read The Greatest Game Ever. Great read; great story and context behind the characters involved in the game, players/coaches/journalists//broadcasters/photographers. Really paints a great picture contextually of culture, society and the state of the game in that period.

jack presley

mikemac1 wrote: »

Brian Billick is a fountain of knowledge of all things NFL

His book is very good
http://www.amazon.com/More-than-Game-Glorious-Uncertain/dp/1439109184

Covers lots of stuff, the rise of different systems, how difficult it is to find a franchise QB, future of the game, expansion overseas

Is that one for Patriots fans only or would the rest of us enjoy it too?

CoachTO

jack presley wrote: »

Is that one for Patriots fans only or would the rest of us enjoy it too?

Patriots fans? More like Ravens fans Billick's book is for everyone though. The man has one of the best football brains around. He should really go back into coaching.

jack presley

CoachTO wrote: »

Patriots fans? More like Ravens fans Billick's book is for everyone though. The man has one of the best football brains around. He should really go back into coaching.

Aaagggghhhh...meant to quote post above yours about War Room, the Belliceck one. That Billick one is quite good. I enjoyed that.

CoachTO

jack presley wrote: »

Aaagggghhhh...meant to quote post above yours about War Room, the Belliceck one. That Billick one is quite good. I enjoyed that.

War Room is a good read also even if you arent a Pats fan.

Paully D

Currently reading this:



Started reading it this afternoon and I'm 3/4 of the way through it already. It's about sports agent Josh Luchs who blows the whistle on what really goes on when getting college players to sign. The good thing about it is he doesn't absolve himself of any blame and he names absolutely everyone involved, also includes pictures of money orders etc that he paid players with.

Very interesting.

BigBadRob83

jack presley wrote: »

Aaagggghhhh...meant to quote post above yours about War Room, the Belliceck one. That Billick one is quite good. I enjoyed that.

Would recommend War Room to non-Pats fans too. Most of it from perspective of Thomas Dimitroff (Falcons) and Scott Pioli (Chiefs), more about team-building ideas/philosophies and what they learned from Belichick rather than Patriot-centric.

BaronVon

I read America's Game by Michael MacCambridge, good read, explains the history of the game very well.

What stood out for me were quotes by Jim Brown. Candid and straight to the point. And this morning his book, Out of Bounds, arrived in the post.

Looking forward to reading it, I'll let you's know all about it!

FishHook

http://www.amazon.com/Gang-Green-Irreverent-Thirty-Eight-Thirty-Seven/dp/0684841150/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1341933813&sr=1-1&keywords=gang+green

A bit dated now, it was written in the late 1990s. It covers the (at times farcical!!) history of the New York Jets, the one high and the many lows!!

Thankfully, the Jets have improved in the last fifteen years!!

jack presley

An interesting read of Redskins fan is 'Showdown' by Thomas Smith which in a roundabout way gives the team history up until they first put a black player on the roster. I never knew it when they became my team but their owner was a huge racist and bigot and for years put up with losing seasons as opposed to accepting a black player to make the team better.

The book is actually about the battle between George Marshall and the JFL administration to integrate the team and how the only reason he eventually relented was because they threatened to ban him from using the stadium.

It's a great read but probably only for Redskins fans.

CoachTO

Cracking book for anyone into the Strategies and Idea of the game:

http://smartfootball.com/my-book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470125595/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chrisbrownsfo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1470125595

Only $6 give or take

adrian522

CoachTO wrote: »

Cracking book for anyone into the Strategies and Idea of the game:

http://smartfootball.com/my-book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470125595/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chrisbrownsfo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1470125595

Only $6 give or take

Looks good, kindle version is even cheaper..$4.91

CoachTO

adrian522 wrote: »

Looks good, kindle version is even cheaper..$4.91

Yeah I got both I always like to have the actual book also. Handy then to have the kindle version for on the move. Not bad for a tenner all in.

Chardee MacDennis

CoachTO wrote: »

Cracking book for anyone into the Strategies and Idea of the game:

http://smartfootball.com/my-book

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1470125595/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=chrisbrownsfo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1470125595

Only $6 give or take

bought it a couple of weeks ago, found myself constantly having to stop and go google a term or formation though - really requires a very good basis of football knowledge.

padraig_f

CoachTO wrote: »

Yeah I got both I always like to have the actual book also. Handy then to have the kindle version for on the move. Not bad for a tenner all in.

I was thinking of getting this. Usually prefer kindle editions, but was unsure about this book because of diagrams and stuff. Does the kindle version lose anything compared to the paper edition in this respect?

davetherave

padraig_f wrote: »

I was thinking of getting this. Usually prefer kindle editions, but was unsure about this book because of diagrams and stuff. Does the kindle version lose anything compared to the paper edition in this respect?

Downloaded the first chapter to have a look at this. Turns out you can zoom in on diagrams (and possibly pictures). If you up arrow to the diagram a magnifying glass will appear and you just press the middle button to zoom in.

Portrait mode, Full page;


Portrait mode, Diagram;


Landscape mode, Full page;


Landscape mode, Diagram;

padraig_f

davetherave wrote: »

Downloaded the first chapter to have a look at this. Turns out you can zoom in on diagrams (and possibly pictures). If you up arrow to the diagram a magnifying glass will appear and you just press the middle button to zoom in.

Looks good, thanks.

PerrinV2

JaMarcus Hustle wrote: »

Anytime this question pops up, I recommend the same book every time.

The Greatest Game Ever by Mark Bowden.

It's about the 1958 Giants vs Colts game and how it propelled football into the mainstream spotlight. It's a cracking read, full of background stories on every character involved (Johnny Unitas, Sam Huff and Raymond Berry having particularly interesting tales) and Bowden of course is a critically acclaimed author (of Black Hawk Down fame). Fantastic read, so engrossing.

I've only really started watching nfl regularly this season but this seems to be highly recommended here so I might order that.
Has anyone read any good autobiographys by players btw?

adrian522

I read that recently as well, excellent read, as stated above, particularly the backgrounds of some of the players involved.

SantryRed

Anyone want to point me in the direction of how to get iBooks on my iPad without any sort of currency leaving my pocket?

jack presley

SantryRed wrote: »

Anyone want to point me in the direction of how to get iBooks on my iPad without any sort of currency leaving my pocket?

Isn't iBooks a free app in the iTunes store?

Mikeyt086

SantryRed wrote: »

Anyone want to point me in the direction of how to get iBooks on my iPad without any sort of currency leaving my pocket?

iDont know if that's possible. iThink you have to jailbreak it.

chopperbyrne

Not an NFL book, but the best American Football book I've read is Friday Night Lights.

BaronVon

Anyone read any decent books since?

I just finished reading Nate Jackson's "Slow Getting Up, A Story of NFL Survival from the Bottom of the Pile."

Good read, he spent 6 seasons, mostly with with the Broncos, as a Special Teams WR/TE. Gives a good insight into the insecurity and daily grind of being a player down the bottom of the roster, and the countless injuries he sustained.

jack presley

That Nate Jackson book is on my list to read but I like waiting for paperbacks to come out. I don't like hardbacks and I'm old school so haven't migrated to Kindles yet but I'm looking forward to reading that one whenever the paperback is released.

I'm reading Coaching Confidential by Gary Myers at the moment which is quite good. It's short enough and easy enough to read so you'll get through it in a few sessions and is made up of some interesting stories about coaches in the league. One I'd recommend anyway.

Not an NFL one but another book I got for Christmas was one called Soldiers First which is about a season with Army's college football team. It's only alright so I wouldn't be rushing out to get it.

Frisbee

I've just finished reading The System recently and would thoroughly recommend it.

You hear a lot about the sketchiness and money involved in college football a lot but when you see the figures laid out in front of you it's crazy.

Paully D

Anyone have any recommendations on books which give an inside look into day-to-day life in the league? For example. I've read Next Man Up which gives a superb look into the Ravens and I'm looking for similar.

Also, any recommendations on books which give an inside look into the draft process, for example team's war rooms the night of the draft etc?

Thanks.

jack presley

Paully D wrote: »

Anyone have any recommendations on books which give an inside look into day-to-day life in the league? For example. I've read Next Man Up which gives a superb look into the Ravens and I'm looking for similar.

Also, any recommendations on books which give an inside look into the draft process, for example team's war rooms the night of the draft etc?

Thanks.

Good draft books I've read are 'The Draft' by Pete Williams and 'Meat Market' by Bruce Feldman.

Rich Eisen's 'Total Access' is a book I read a few year's back so I can't remember much about it but from memory that goes in behind the scenes on a lot of day to day NFL stuff. And 'The Dark Side of The Game' by Tim Green, while a few years old now and could be a bit dated (again, it's been years since I read it) but I remember enjoying it when I read it.

I agree, Next Man Up is an excellent book.