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jilllightner's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Medical content
Minor: Sexism and Drug use
cbaker8887's review
2.0
I have very mixed reactions to this book about the life of a football player on the margins. Let me start off with what I liked about it.
Nate Jackson details his life as a marginal player in the NFL. Basically he hung on through the practice squad and playing on special teams, with a few stints on the field itself. If there is a theme to the book it’s twofold.
One is the prevalence of pain and injury in the NFL and how that makes it even more difficult to hang on when you’re always on the bubble of being cut or released. Jackson seemed to be somewhat injury prone with bad shoulders and later a balky hamstring, not to mention a knee injury he suffered.
The second theme is how the players love football, or at least in this case maybe it is a love-hate relationship with football as that is certainly how the account of this career comes off. I could never tell really whether Jackson hated football or loved it. But he must have loved it or at least needed it like a drug to go through all he did to hang on to his football career.
And Jackson has seen it all, from the practice squad, to great players on the Denver Broncos, to NFL Europe, and a last, final hurrah in the United Football League, a very, very small league for struggling want to be players and those, like Jackson, hanging on by their bootstraps for one more chance at an NFL career. (I wonder if the same can be said about the coaches as Jim Fassel coached in the UFL).
The book is told from the point of view of the player and what life in the NFL means, which is a lot of pain, little time with family or friends, and near total devotion to one’s craft and to keeping the body sound. And for some, the few minutes of glory of being on the field and making a big hit on special teams or a great catch is worth it.
Jackson mostly stayed away from the Xs and Os of the game and personalities. The most we heard about personalities was his great respect for Bronco’s receiver Rod Smith, and how he liked Jake Plummer and Mike Shanahan (the later who gave him a chance at the behest of none other than Bill Walsh).
This was a very interesting account of the daily life of a player on an off the field and what it means to dedicate yourself to the NFL, especially for a player on the margins.
What I didn’t like about the book, and it grated on my nerves throughout, is the smart-alecky writing style. It’s as if every anecdote and chapter is wrapped in this veil of smarmy humor that comes across, to this reader, and childish and not funny, as I am sure it was intended. Not that a book like this couldn’t use some of this type of levity, but the entire book is written in that vein. That was a huge turnoff.
I also really never could tell whether Jackson loved the NFL or hated the NFL or both. I suspect both given the struggle with injuries and that he mostly grouses about life in the NFL. But then as noted, he did hang on for as long as he could through the injuries, NFL Europe, and the UFL. Why put yourself through that if you didn’t love it on some level? And he never talks about whether he truly cared about winning or losing games.
And I would have liked to read more gossipy scoops on the players he played with like Plummer and Cutler and Brandon Marshall or things going on in the NFL generally.
Finally, even though told from the view of the “common player” it really is about Nate Jackson, not the NFL and really not the other players.
And for these reasons, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Nate Jackson details his life as a marginal player in the NFL. Basically he hung on through the practice squad and playing on special teams, with a few stints on the field itself. If there is a theme to the book it’s twofold.
One is the prevalence of pain and injury in the NFL and how that makes it even more difficult to hang on when you’re always on the bubble of being cut or released. Jackson seemed to be somewhat injury prone with bad shoulders and later a balky hamstring, not to mention a knee injury he suffered.
The second theme is how the players love football, or at least in this case maybe it is a love-hate relationship with football as that is certainly how the account of this career comes off. I could never tell really whether Jackson hated football or loved it. But he must have loved it or at least needed it like a drug to go through all he did to hang on to his football career.
And Jackson has seen it all, from the practice squad, to great players on the Denver Broncos, to NFL Europe, and a last, final hurrah in the United Football League, a very, very small league for struggling want to be players and those, like Jackson, hanging on by their bootstraps for one more chance at an NFL career. (I wonder if the same can be said about the coaches as Jim Fassel coached in the UFL).
The book is told from the point of view of the player and what life in the NFL means, which is a lot of pain, little time with family or friends, and near total devotion to one’s craft and to keeping the body sound. And for some, the few minutes of glory of being on the field and making a big hit on special teams or a great catch is worth it.
Jackson mostly stayed away from the Xs and Os of the game and personalities. The most we heard about personalities was his great respect for Bronco’s receiver Rod Smith, and how he liked Jake Plummer and Mike Shanahan (the later who gave him a chance at the behest of none other than Bill Walsh).
This was a very interesting account of the daily life of a player on an off the field and what it means to dedicate yourself to the NFL, especially for a player on the margins.
What I didn’t like about the book, and it grated on my nerves throughout, is the smart-alecky writing style. It’s as if every anecdote and chapter is wrapped in this veil of smarmy humor that comes across, to this reader, and childish and not funny, as I am sure it was intended. Not that a book like this couldn’t use some of this type of levity, but the entire book is written in that vein. That was a huge turnoff.
I also really never could tell whether Jackson loved the NFL or hated the NFL or both. I suspect both given the struggle with injuries and that he mostly grouses about life in the NFL. But then as noted, he did hang on for as long as he could through the injuries, NFL Europe, and the UFL. Why put yourself through that if you didn’t love it on some level? And he never talks about whether he truly cared about winning or losing games.
And I would have liked to read more gossipy scoops on the players he played with like Plummer and Cutler and Brandon Marshall or things going on in the NFL generally.
Finally, even though told from the view of the “common player” it really is about Nate Jackson, not the NFL and really not the other players.
And for these reasons, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t recommend it.
hank's review
3.0
Interesting content and reflections from a non-superstar athlete. I had read several of Jackson's articles before grabbing this book. I think he is better at writing the 500 word post/article, several of the chapters in this book were well written, thought out and polished. Most weren't. 5 star for content 2 for writing, although I firmly believe he has a bright future in writing, he just needs a bit more practice.
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
(4.5) A really entertaining read, kinda like if your happy-go-lucky friend made it to the NFL. Didn't provide any insight into the league (his columns usually do that) but it was a neat prospective on the pros and cons of a football life, even that of a non-superstar.
mattycakesbooks's review
3.0
The writing is a lot better than you'd expect from a former NFL player, but it's still a little rough around the edges. It's funny, too, but sometimes it tries to hard.
What I liked the most was the actual content... the NFL is a meat grinder, and this view from the inside makes it seem much grittier (and much more interesting) than the idiotic tripe that's put out by ESPN and most other sports journalism. That it has taken us (the public) until now to realize what football does to the bodies of its players is surprising considering how it's taken as such a natural matter of course in this book. He's got a way of telling the story without it feeling like a tell-all or like he has any sort of agenda, but it's still an incredibly interesting look at the football industry.
What I liked the most was the actual content... the NFL is a meat grinder, and this view from the inside makes it seem much grittier (and much more interesting) than the idiotic tripe that's put out by ESPN and most other sports journalism. That it has taken us (the public) until now to realize what football does to the bodies of its players is surprising considering how it's taken as such a natural matter of course in this book. He's got a way of telling the story without it feeling like a tell-all or like he has any sort of agenda, but it's still an incredibly interesting look at the football industry.
timburbage's review
4.0
An interesting look into 2000s NFL with a team that I knew pretty well from being a fan and watching Sunday night games recorded on my mum's VHS on Channel 5. Nate goes into a lot of detail of injury recovery, living on the bottom and surviving season to season. His outlook on man-management and the dynamics of the dressing room of characters were certainly interesting.
Some parts I found a bit unsavoury involved him killing a mountain lion (really?) and generally how he discusses women. He is a horny 14 year old incel, but in the body of an attractive athlete.
A good read for a fan of NFL and sports.
Some parts I found a bit unsavoury involved him killing a mountain lion (really?) and generally how he discusses women. He is a horny 14 year old incel, but in the body of an attractive athlete.
A good read for a fan of NFL and sports.
cruzsg23's review against another edition
4.0
Hilarious, and ultimately hallucinogenic, eye-opening look at the soul- and body-crushing men go through for our pleasure and excitement. Also contains insights into Mike Shanahan and Eric Mangini. Always fascinating, although sometimes too gruesome to be genuinely enjoyable.