Very interesting perspective into the business side of the NFL

Rating: 8/10 (22 April 2014)

First off, I am a huge NFL fan.I love the business aspect and the many different components of the NFL game, such as free agency, the draft, etc. So I knew I had to see this movie.
The movie primarily focuses on the Cleveland Browns and GM Sonny Weaver Jr (played by Kevin Costner), but the movie began in the Seattle Seahawks headquarters, where the GM is hoping to cash in on the #1 pick by suckering some team into giving them a king's ransom for it. He calls up Sonny and gauges his interest in the pick. Initially Sonny isn't interested in trading for it, but after being told by the higher ups of the Browns that they needed to make a splash, Sonny eventually deals the #7 pick in the 2014 draft, as well as their 2015 and 2016 1st round picks to Seattle for the #1 pick, where they are assumed to be taking the hotshot, can't miss prospect, QB Bo Callahan of Wisconsin.
There's a few other draft prospects, however, who make it known they want to be a part of the Cleveland Browns: LB Vontae Mack of Ohio State, and RB Ray Jennings (played by current Houston Texans RB Arian Foster) of Florida State, who is the son of a Cleveland Browns legend. Amid these issues, along with hearing his salary cap manager Ali is pregnant with his child, and the passing of his father just days after he fired him (previously the Browns coach), Sonny has a lot on his plate on this draft day.
At first, Sonny decides to roll with Callahan, which makes Browns fans rejoice, and the current Browns QB on the roster quite angry, so much so that he trashes Sonny's office and demands to be traded. He felt betrayed by Sonny, and pleads with Sonny that he is the guy to lead the franchise to glory, coming back better than ever after a knee injury in the previous season. The move also upsets Mack, who tweets out that it's a bad decision to pick Callahan. Sonny also receives disagreement regarding the overall decision from the new coach, who would rather make a new deal with the Buffalo Bills to acquire a few new players and more draft picks for the future.
After doing some background checking and scouting and such, Sonny finds some character issues with Bo Callahan and changes the pick in the final seconds to Vontae Mack. The collective NFL nation is stunned. Mack is watching the draft at his home with his family and is left speechless after hearing he was the pick. It also causes the current Browns QB to rejoice in knowing he's the guy.
Sonny and the Browns weren't done yet though. After seeing the teams in picks 2-5 pass on Bo Callahan, the GM of the Jacksonville Jaguars, who own pick #6, calls up Sonny and asks why teams are passing up on Callahan. Sonny dances around the question, but answers that he simply believes Callahan will be a bust and eventually convinces the Jaguars GM to deal the #6 pick to the Browns for 2nd round picks in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Sonny then takes this opportunity to call up the GM of the Seahawks and threaten to take Callahan away from the Seahawks. After some back and forth negotiations, Sonny gets back all the picks he originally traded to Seattle, as well as a punt returner, for pick #6. Seattle gets its man in Callahan, and the Browns pick Ray Jennings with pick #7. Sonny goes from goat to hero in a matter of minutes, and Browns football appears to be headed in a great direction for the future.
There's plenty more going on in the movie. It has its fair share of football and non-football related drama, enough to keep you interested and wanting to see what happens next.
My only complaints about the movie ... well, as an avid NFL fan, most of the trades that occurred in this movie would definitely not happen in today's NFL. The original trade (Cleveland acquires #1 pick, Seattle acquires three 1st rounders) is not too far-fetched, but the other moves are just completely unrealistic. The Jaguars traded away a top 10 1st round pick for three 2nd round picks. That would never happen, and the Jaguars would have been mocked forever for taking a trade like that in today's NFL. Then Seattle trading back those three 1st rounders and an apparently very good punt returner just to move up one spot? That is also foolish, even for a "can't miss" prospect. Of course, that's just nit-picky from someone who is a die-hard NFL fan and knows better.
The other complaint is that the actions of Mack/Jennings as well as the current Browns QB and coach were unrealistic behaviors at certain moments. Mack and Jennings calling Sonny and telling them to draft them? Complaining about potentially not being the guy? That would never ever ever happen. If a prospect did that, he'd probably go completely undrafted, or at least been red-flagged by just about every NFL GM out there. When the current Browns QB got wind of the first trade, he trashed Sonny's office and demanded a trade. Again, that's a move that would get you suspended or "blacklisted" by so many teams. Then the coach having the nerve to mock the GM and repetitively call the GM's moves "boneheaded"? You'd get fired on spot in today's NFL for comments like that.
Again, just some unrealistic things added to the movie to create drama and story lines, which is understandable, and didn't ruin the film for me at all, but true NFL fans will understand that sort of stuff would never happen.
To any football fans, particularly NFL fans, I recommend you see it. I don't know how much it would appeal to those who don't like football, though.