"This book will change the way you think about professional football--in much the same way that Bill James revolutionized the analysis of Major League Baseball. The research is impeccable. The approach is irreverent. You will be 'blindsided' by what you think you know about the NFL, but don't.
"When I found that the research proved that a significant portion of the big-name players weren't nearly as good as they were touted as being by many members of the media and NFL coaches, I knew that I was onto something." --KC Joyner
When sportswriters and commentators toss around superlatives as easily as quarterbacks toss short passes, how do you distinguish the hype from the facts? How can you get beyond the publicity and propaganda to objectively assess actual on-field performance? How do you refute conventional football wisdom?
You run the numbers. But wait; time-out. As this book laments, you can't get access to game footage, which is one of the reasons so many myths and misconceptions about pro football persist. Fortunately, KC Joyner (a.k.a. ESPN's "Football Scientist") does have the films--and the numbers. Joyner is pro football's premier game-tape analyst, using game fi lm to track, tabulate, and analyze nearly every measurable statistic in an NFL game. Now he shares it all with you in Blindsided, as he examines and debunks some of the game's biggest myths and legends. He analyzes stats for various positions, players, and teams as well as offering surprising insights into key football issues and concerns that range from the true value of the left tackle to who should or shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame.
He discusses coaching and coaches at length. He delves into their background demographics, classifies them into four strategic/philosophical alignments, and explores their impact on the past and future of the game. He also takes a revealing look at current NFL business policies, including the current DirectTV and NFL Network deals, the financial disincentive of salary capping, and why the NFL's blackout rules make no economic sense.
Equipping you with both hard facts and an insider's insight, Joyner's in-depth, statistics-based analyses will help you understand and appreciate NFL football as never before.
