Inside the Helmet: A Players Eye View of the N.F.L.
by By King, Peter
Category: Sports & Recreation , Football

To the unsophisticated eye, football is a simple game. Eleven hulking behemoths line up on one side of a football; another eleven line up across from them. When the ball is snapped, both sides erupt into a single writhing, violent mass of bodies. Then, when everyone stops moving, they line up and do it again.Just because football doesn't look neat and precise doesn't mean that it lacks order. In fact, each seemingly chaotic play is the result of analysis, planning, practice, split-second adjustments, and the executions of well-rehearsed movements. And, because every player on the field is involved in the success or failure of each play, the attention to detail in football is mind-boggling.In Inside the Helmet, Peter King, Sports Illustrated's lead pro football columnist, takes us inside the world of professional football and shows us the game only the players and coaches see. As he profiles football's best and brightest, King shows us the intricacies of each position and why attention to detail wins and loses games. He shares a week with Boomer Esiason as he prepares for a game and shows us how his endless hours of film study and pregame preparation translate into action on the field. He shows us how a one-man gang like Bruce Smith can change a game with his speed, strength, and technique and what an offense must do to contain him. He takes us inside the high-stakes game within the game played by league-leading pass receiver Hayward Jeffires and all-pro defensive back Rod Woodson as they face off against each other play after play. He also shows us how Barry Sanders, the game's best running back, finds a hole, as well as what he sees, feels, and senses as he slices through a defense.Inside the Helmet shows us what football coaches really do. We fly across the country with one of the game's best, Jimmy Johnson, as he and his staff look for talent, and watch as they work the phone on draft day. King also shows us how a head coach supervises his team as they get ready for a big game and explains why today's head coaches are more likely to act like business executives than fat guys holding a blocking sled. Finally, King takes us inside the much overlooked kicking game, and explains why all successful coaches say that "special teams" are what win or lose championships.Peter King's sources are impeccable, his access is unique, and his understanding and love of the game are unparalleled. Inside the Helmet is the best look yet at football, the real thinking fan's game.