Next Man Up
A Year Behind the Lines in Today's NFL
by John Feinstein
Overview
From Publishers Weekly
According to the punchy start of this sprawling, in-depth account of the 2004 Baltimore Ravens' season, you can forget about all the other pretenders to the throne: pro football is (at least in and around cities that have a franchise) America's sport. Furthermore, Feinstein, bestselling author of A Good Walk Spoiled, persuasively argues that pro football is the most dramatic American sport, with its many deeply religious players, limited media access and comparatively low number of games, which are all then accorded life-or-death status. Given excellent access to the Ravens operation, Feinstein is, not surprisingly, very generous with his subjects, painting evenhanded portraits of the players (many of whom, like Jamal Lewis and Deion Sanders, have had plenty of bad press over the years) and even more neutral portrayals of management, especially coach Brian Billick. The runup to the first game of the young franchise's ninth season is so assiduously documented, the season itself is almost an afterthought, though the games are smartly and excitingly rendered. Feinstein wisely avoids the grandiloquent hyperbole often found in sportswriting; there are no references to deities or Greek heroes here. This hefty tome will surely keep football fans happy between games.
My thoughts
If you love NFL football, this book is for you! It's about the Ravens - yeah, I know, they're not my team either! But this is a great read about the inner workings of an NFL football club. I am a huge football fan, and I learned oodles about what goes on behind the scenes every week in an NFL club. From the job duties and responsibilities of the scouts and coaches, to the practices and training routines, to the head coach's quirks, to little day-to-day things that fans take for granted. This book describes it all!
John Feinstein is a gifted writer! He talks about things that are interesting, and has a nice flow as he segues into a new story or the background of a player.
I've read a lot of football books and sometimes they can be a bit mundane when it comes to describing games, especially when the team isn't "yours", but I was spellbound by the writing in this book! I can't wait to read another book by the same author!
Favorite Passage
There are two very clearly defined sides to Stover's personality. One is the almost manic competitor who lies flat on his back on the locker-room floor before games, legs on a stool, eyes closed, shutting out the world until it is time to brush his teeth (yes, brush his teeth) and go out on the field. The other is the deeply religious, born-again Christian who can recite lengthy verses from the Bible and can work scripture or Biblical sayings into almost any conversation.
"There are times when we're lining up for a kick and I have to keep from laughing at some of the things coming out of Matt's mouth, "Zastudil said. "He'll be screaming to himself, 'You have to make this, Matt, you have to concentrate. Oh, Lord Jesus, please let me make this kick, give me strength right now. Come on, Matt, right through those goalposts. Lord stay with me now!'"
And that might just be on an extra point.
