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8 new books for the 2015 NFL season

Some authors are already setting their sights on the 50th anniversary of the Super Bowl.

6. 'Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0,’ by Pat Kirwan with David Seigerman

  • By Ross Atkin

While pro football broadcasts are chock full of replays and expert commentary, they seldom take account of all 22 players on the field at any time. The focus, naturally, is on the ball – who’s throwing, catching, kicking, fumbling, and running with it. To gain a fuller understanding and appreciation for the intricacies of all aspects of the game, including devising strategies and front-office decisions, the authors peel back the onion. This updated and expanded edition taps the expertise of its lead author: Pat Kirwan, a former defensive coach of the New York Jets, who is now a featured columnist on NFL.com.

Here’s an excerpt from Take Your Eye Off the Ball:

“Offensive lines succeed when a running back has a big day or the quarterback’s jersey stays clean, but they get little credit in the public eye. When they do get noticed, it’s usually for something like allowing three sacks … even though one came when the quarterback was chased down on a bootleg, another came on a safety blitz, and the third came when the linebacker collapsed the pocket by steamrolling the running back. Even when Hollywood makes a move about an actual offensive lineman like 'The Blind Side,' it focuses on the drama of his life off the field rather than his job on it. 

“But then most football fans don’t really understand line play, and it’s too intricate for an announcer to explain effectively within the confines of a TV broadcast. Plus, there are no stats that truly illuminate an individual lineman’s performance (in that way they’re the only players impossible to include in fantasy football).”

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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