Sunday Morning Quarterback : Going Deep on the Strategies, Myths & Mayhem of Football

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Summary: Phil Simms
Review: I'm getting a book for Susan Branigan Laura's sister for christmas one for myself one to bring to the Philippines to put in their store

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Summary: Good Football Book!
Review: If your a Phil Simms or NY Giants fan, this is a must book to have. But even if your just a football fan, this is still a must have. The book really tells you the players point of view as a professional football player and a coach. The thing I really like about this book, is that it feels like your having a conversation with Phil Simms. I realized why coaches work so hard and why Bill Parcells is such a great coach. But most importantly, it gives you a perspective that you would have never get from just watching football on tv.

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Summary: Insightful book by thoughtful, knowledgeable player/analyst
Review: Very readable, informative, enjoyable book by a former Super Bowl MVP quarterback and my favorite TV football analyst. Simms is not coasting on his reputation. He prepares for each week's broadcast with the same seriousness of purpose with which he formerly prepared to quarterback the Giants. Simms has always dedicated himself to self-improvement--even improving his throwing mechanics during his second decade as an NFL quarterback. His journalism reflects his professionalism; Simms respects his audience. For example: "I try to stay away from buzz terms such as 'Two Deep' or 'Eight in the Box.' Instead, I'll talk about the defense 'crowding the line of scrimmage.'" (p. 125).

"Sunday Morning Quarterback" dispels countless false "truisms" that less analytical/knowledgeable NFL broadcasters spew because they are too lazy to dig deeper.

Simms vividly describes the challenges NFL quarterbacks face that average fans (like me) don't appreciate. Simms argues persuasively that, even today, many NFL teams fail to adequately coach and drill quarterbacks in their throwing motion. He explains that it's easy for fans and journalists to second-guess plays that don't work out well, such as a reverse that gets stopped in the backfield or a draw play in an "obvious" passing situation. But, he argues, the very "obviousness" of a call makes it less desirable. Also, even when a particular play "fails," it can achieve the objective of confusing defenses and preventing them from "reading" plays too quickly (and, thus, attacking immediately). Planting seeds of doubt may slow down a defense's reaction by a second, which can be the difference between an interception and a long pass completion on the next play.

Simms argues that the prominence of highlight films has made fans less patient ("Why can't we do that?"). Highlight reels, he points out, leave out all the busted plays and short gains. Also, every "highlight" is a "lowlight" for another team.

He notes that quarterbacks who scramble reduce their ability to notice open receivers and reduce the portion of the field to which they can throw. He neglects to follow up by pointing out that smart defenses will react to a scrambling quarterback by compressing their defense toward the side of the field the quarterback is scrambling to (esp. the sideline toward which the quarterback is running). But he makes plenty of great points that will get fans thinking. He does, for example, add that a scrambling quarterback should keep his head looking downfield and shoulders parallel with the line of scrimmage as he runs towards the sideline. He says Manning and Brady have been trained to do this and complete more passes because they look downfield while scrambling.

One place I vehemently disagree with Simms is his belief that "good size, a good throwing arm, and the ability to move reasonably well [plus] common intelligence" are more important in NFL quarterback prospects than "how they handle pressure and other mental aspects" which he terms "intangibles" (pp. 75-76). On p. 180 of my book, "Management Secrets of the New England Patriots," I cite former NFL quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Jim Harbaugh who say that toughness is a quarterback's most important attribute. At Michigan, Tom Brady was small, weak-armed, and slow. The Patriots drafted him for his toughness, competitiveness, intelligence, and calmness under pressure. None of these were "intangible." You can't measure them statistically at the scouting combine, but you can measure them by studying game film, talking with teammates, etc. The Patriots saw those "intangibles." Brady has added twenty pounds to his frame, strengthened his arm, and remains slower than many nose tackles. "Intangibles" cannot be taught because character is far harder to change than muscle mass. I'm not sure Simms even believes his own words because he later contradicts himself: "Your philosophical beliefs determine whether you win or lose. ...[W]hat you believe in--great physical conditioning, toughness, practicing under pressure--forms the core" (p. 149). And his entire Chapter 7 describes the many mental challenges of playing quarterback!

Some might criticize Simms for his apparent jealousy that Joe Montana had the good fortune of being drafted by Walsh's Niners, but I admire and appreciate his candor. I wish we could re-run history and see what Simms would have done in Montana's place. Simms' story of Walsh telling Simms, during pre-draft scouting, to throw slower does suggest that Walsh's system would have enabled Simms to post even bigger numbers.