It may be true that defense wins championships, but it's quarterbacks who put their stamp on the NFL like no one else. The Mount Rushmore of the position would have to be a many-headed hydra to honor them all: preternaturally poised Joe Montana and gunslinging Brett Favre; cerebral Peyton Manning and athletic Steve Young; shaggy Joe Namath and crewcut Johnny Unitas; black-and-white pioneer Sammy Baugh and his high-def descendants, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and perhaps someday, Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck. "Sports Illustrated" celebrates these iconic figures and many more in a pro football compendium unlike any ever assembled.
"NFL QB" examines every aspect of this storied position through original essays, classic prose from the magazine's rich archives and insights from Hall of Fame players, all set against the most striking photographs ever taken on the subject. Every record holder is represented and reevaluated. The big arms, the elusive scramblers, the two-minute magicians, the crossover cultural stars, even the notorious flameouts, are all showcased. This comprehensive tribute to the game's most essential position is a must-have for any NFL fan.

Tom Brady's father is an estate planner. Aaron Rodgers' father is a chiropractor. Cam Newton's father tried to sell his son to Mississippi State when he was leaving junior college. Archie Manning played 14 years in the NFL and never made the playoffs, but his sons Peyton and Eli combined to win four Super Bowls. Joe Montana is considered by many to be the greatest quarterback of all time, but his two sons bounced around college football with limited success. "Fathers and Sons," will go behind the scenes to explore the unique relationship between quarterbacks and their fathers. The book will appeal to two generations: Fathers and mothers and their sons and daughters. It will explore the various approaches to parenting through the stories of some of the best quarterbacks and their fathers and include the back stories of fathers who were successful quarterbacks with sons attempting to follow in their footsteps. It will provide life lessons and a guide to what to do and what not to do raising children with special athletic skills. Can young athletes overcome helicopter parents? Todd Marinovich was basically bred by his father Marv to be an NFL quarterback and although he was a first-round pick and drafted ahead of Brett Favre, he turned out to be a bust with many off the field issues. What would have happened if he was allowed to live a normal childhood? Kerry Collins had an overbearing father who moved him out of his home and to a different highs school because he didn't like the way his son was being coached. It took an emotional toll on Kerry and destroyed family relationships. Brady came from a family with an athletic mother and three older sisters who all played college sports. He had such a close relationship with his father that when he decided to play at Michigan rather than stay in the Bay Area and play at Cal, his father needed months of counseling to overcome the separation. Even so, he never tried to influence Tom where to attend college, not wanting to be blamed if it turned out to be the wrong choice. How did the kids with NFL aspirations deal with fathers who made it in the NFL? What kind of pressure did they have to overcome? What kind of pressure did the father who succeeded put on their son to be an athlete? Would the expectations be lower and the results greater if the father was an attorney or doctor? Was it better for the fathers to be overbearing or border on disinterested? "Fathers and Sons" will be the real-life compelling stories of quarterbacks growing up and how they took advantage or overcame the relationships with their fathers.

This classic sports book takes readers inside the 1967 season of the Green Bay Packers, following that storied team from training camp to their dramatic victory in Super Bowl II.
Candid and often amusing, Jerry Kramer describes from a player's perspective a bygone era of sports, filled with blood, grit, and tears. No game better exemplifies this period than the classic "Ice Bowl" conference championship game between the Packers and the Dallas Cowboys, which Kramer, who made the crucial block in the climactic play, describes in thrilling detail. We also get a rare and insightful view of the Packers' legendary leader, coach Vince Lombardi.
As vivid and engaging as it was when it was first published, "Instant Replay "is an irreplaceable reminder of the glory days of pro football.

"A raucous, smash-mouth, first-person takedown of the National Football League." -Wall Street Journal The New York Times bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of This Town, an equally merciless probing of America's biggest cultural force, pro football, at a moment of peak success and high anxiety Like millions of Americans, Mark Leibovich has spent more of his life tuned into pro football than he'd care to admit. Being a lifelong New England Patriots fan meant growing up on a steady diet of lovable loserdom. That is, until the Tom Brady/Bill Belichick era made the Pats the most ruthlessly efficient and polarizing sports dynasty of the modern NFL, and its fans the most irritating in all of Pigskin America. Leibovich kept his obsession quiet, making a nice career for himself covering that other playground for rich and overgrown children, American politics. Still, every now and then Leibovich would reach out to Tom Brady to gauge his willingness to subject himself to a profile. He figured that the chances of Brady agreeing were a Hail Mary at best, but Brady returned Mark's call in summer 2014 and kept on returning his calls through epic Patriots Super Bowl victory and defeat, and a scandal involving Brady--Deflategate--whose grip on sports media was as profound as its true significance was ridiculous. So began a four-year odyssey that took Mark Leibovich deeper inside the NFL than anyone has gone before. From the owners' meeting to the draft to the sidelines of crucial games, he takes in the show at the elbow of everyone from Brady to big-name owners to the cordially despised NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell. Ultimately, BIG GAME is a chronicle of "peak football"--the high point of the sport's economic success and cultural dominance, but also the time when the dark side began to show. It is an era of explosive revenue growth, but also one of creeping existential fear. Players have long joked that NFL stands for "not for long," but as the true impact of concussions becomes inescapable background noise, it's increasingly difficult to enjoy the simple glory of football without the buzz-kill of its obvious consequences. And that was before Donald Trump. In 2016, Mark's day job caught up with him, and the NFL slammed headlong into America's culture wars. Big Game is a journey through an epic storm. Through it all, Leibovich always keeps one eye on Tom Brady and his beloved Patriots, through to the 2018 Super Bowl. Pro football, this hilarious and enthralling book proves, may not be the sport America needs, but it is most definitely the sport we deserve.

Many books have been written about the Cowboys, but there's never been an account like this one. HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS tells the story of the NFL's most successful franchise, with special access to its outspoken owner, Jerry Jones, his sons Stephen and Jerry Jr., daughter Charlotte, and dozens of interviews of current and former players and coaches, and characters from across Cowboy Nation. While tracking the successes and controversies of some of the biggest names in the NFL on and off the field, HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS? remembers the legends of previous generations, and explains why the star on the helmet has become iconic, and how a little expansion team from North Texas has evolved into a global $5 billion brand. Primed for their make-or-break 2018 season, HOW 'BOUT THEM COWBOYS? delivers a fun and surprising account of America's Team, its greatest celebrities, its mercurial management, the vicious rivalries, and the enduring saga that makes this the most popular and polarizing team in sports.

Following a stellar career as an NFL linebacker, O. J. Brigance joined the Baltimore Ravens' front office. But in 2007, O.J. was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis--also known as Lou Gehrig's disease--and given only three to five years to live. As a player, he'd battled hundreds of setbacks, but none prepared him for this.
With faith and determination in his heart and his wife, Chanda, praying by his side, O.J. fought back against the debilitating disease, even as ALS robbed him of the ability to walk and speak. He kept working, smiling, and touching players' lives all the way to the Ravens' victory at Super Bowl XLVII in 2013--more than five years after his diagnosis.
Now, O.J. shares his incredible story, offering lessons in resilience and reflecting on the team that inspired him in turn. With insights into the Ravens' dynamics from the best seat in the house, O.J. highlights their perseverance, confidence, and leadership, the best that sports can bring out in people.
Full of profound revelations and anecdotes, "Strength of a Champion "is a celebration of the human spirit from a man who left everything on the field.