I first picked a softcover version of this book back when still just a teenager, simply because it had a picture of my favorite NFL team, the New York Giants, on the cover. And after reading it, I realized it was not just a book that regaled about how great my favorite team was back then. It is much deeper than that, and in fact, it is an enjoyable read, regardless of who your favorite team is, or even if you are a fan of American football at all.
Of course, it does not hurt if you like the sport. Especially if, like me, you are a fan of the New York Football Giants, and that is particularly true if your favorite era for the Giants is that of the second half of the eighties and the early nineties, particularly during the Bill Parcells era. Yes, Parcells was the head coach, and like him or hate him, he was a fascinating guy, somehow. But that team also had Bill Belichick as the defensive coordinator. This was before Belichick would carve out his own status as likely the greatest head coach in NFL history, and one of the greatest in sports history, with his unprecedented success in New England many years later. Finally, this was when Phil Simms and Lawrence Taylor were the most prominent players on the team, although the team also had some very talented players like Carl Banks, Leonard Marshall, Mark Bavaro, Ottis Anderson, and future Super Bowl winning quarterback Jeff Hostetler.
Also, they were a very successful franchise, and happened to win two Super Bowls during that era. They won Super Bowl XXI after the 1986 season, which came three years before the season that this book covers. But they would also win another one the following season, so we see the roots, if you will, of the championship team that was to come in the 1990-91 season, which also happens to be my favorite team and my favorite season ever.
This book takes you behind the scenes of an NFL team. But it also shows a glimpse of what life and the complications of a professional sports team - not even just a specific NFL team of one particular era, necessarily - are like on a day-to-day basis. Here, this book kind of pulls back the curtain a little. One of the most fascinating aspects for me was the material covering the loss to the 49ers at the very beginning of this book, and the plane ride back to New Jersey, which was filled with disappointment about the loss and missed opportunities, and the trepidation of the situation that the loss now put them in, as they were uncomfortably close to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East standings, and with the big showdown looming. Back then, of course, the Eagles seemed to always find strange ways of beating the G-Men. So the team had to find new ways and strategies in hopes of reversing that trend, lest they drop two straight games, and lose their hold on first place in the division.
Also, the Giants would have to follow up this huge divisional showdown - the biggest game of their 1989 season to date - with a trip to Mile High Stadium to face the Denver Broncos, who had one of the best records in the league and, in fact, would wind up winning the AFC Championship and reaching the Super Bowl themselves that season. Not an easy prospect, obviously. So, this game against their division rivals in Philly was particularly important.
When reading this book, you are offered a unique perspective, as it takes you behind the scenes. You see how individual players overcome injuries and past failures and struggles to prepare, you see them trying to motivate themselves. We read the thoughts of Bill Parcells and sometimes Bill Belichick, as they discuss some of the situations and games, both in the past and (at the time that this book was being prepared) games to come. There are injuries, there are family disputes among management, there are logistics of each game, and then there is the game itself. From the disappointing plane ride back to New Jersey after a tough loss to the 49ers on Monday Night Football, to the week before the game against the Eagles, the game itself, and then some glimpses into the upcoming Broncos game at Mile High Stadium the next week, this book really offers a glimpse into the life of a professional football team. I do not even think that you have to be a football fan, or even a sports fan, to necessarily appreciate that.
Highly recommended!
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