Book

Florio, Mike, author.

Playmakers : how the NFL really works (and doesn't) / Mike Florio.

First edition.

New York, N.Y. : PublicAffairs, 2022.

viii, 371 pages ;c24 cm

"For almost twenty years now, the NFL has been simultaneously an athletic, financial, and cultural powerhouse-and a league that can't seem to go more than a few weeks without stumbling into a scandal. Whether it's about domestic violence, performance-enhancing drugs, racism, or head trauma, the NFL always seems to be in some kind of trouble. Yet no matter the drama, the TV networks keep showing games, the revenue keeps going up, and the viewers keep tuning in. How can a sports league-or any organization-operate this way? Why do the negative stories keep happening, and why don't they ever seem to affect the bottom line? In this wide-ranging book, Mike Florio takes readers from the boardroom to the locker room, from draft day to Super Bowl night, answering these questions and more, and showing what really goes on in the sport that America can't seem to quit. Known for his constant stream of new information and his incisive commentary, Florio delivers again in this book. With new insights and reporting on scandals past and present, this book is sure to be the talk of the league"-- Provided by publisher.

National Football League.

National Football League -- Corrupt practices.

Football -- Corrupt practices -- United States.

Football players -- United States -- Conduct of life.

Introduction -- Part I: the draft -- Tom Brady proves the draft is an inexact science -- At its core, the draft is anti-American -- The draft is the safest place to find a franchise quarterback -- The pre-draft process focuses on all the wrong things -- Draft picks have incredible value to teams, before they're used -- The temptation to tank is real -- The Commissioner's conundrum -- The draft becomes an accidental road show -- Owners often get involved, without getting involved -- There's a huge benefit to discretion -- Part II: free agency -- Free agency rarely makes a huge difference for any team -- The franchise tag hurts players more than fans realize -- Thanks to free agency, players often can't stay put -- Players should be celebrated for trying to get more -- The Albert Haynesworth debacle -- Running backs aren't valued, and for good reason -- Peyton Manning's foray into free agency -- Kirk Cousins cracks the franchise-tag code -- Le'Veon Bell's lost season -- Tom Brady leaves town, after twenty years -- Part III: quarterbacks -- The death of Johnny Unitas -- The rise of Mike Vick -- Aaron Rodgers sits for three years -- The Brett Favre retirement odyssey -- The Donovan McNabb trade -- Ben Roethlisberger's redemption -- Tebowmania -- Andrew Luck retires -- The college offense revolution -- Patrick Mahomes changes everything -- The quarterback takeover -- Part IV: coaches -- The Jon Gruden trade -- The Rooney Rule -- The Randy Ratio -- Nick Saban -- The Peter Principle, on repeat -- The resentment of Bill Belichick -- The unreality of the NFL's reality show -- Jim Harbaugh vs. Jim Schwartz -- The near-trade of Jim Harbaugh -- Another generation of Belichicks -- Matt Rhule blows the salary curve (and it doesn't matter) -- Part V: owners -- The hiring of Matt Millen -- The Commissioner -- Daniel Snyder -- The lockout -- The misadventures of Jimmy Haslam -- The suspension of Jim Irsay -- Jerry Jones vs. Roger Goodell -- Robert Kraft wins one for the little guy -- The Green Bay dynamic -- The rise of analytics -- Part VI: health and safety -- The death of Korey Stringer -- The Roy Williams rule -- Chris Simms nearly dies on the field -- The concussion epiphany -- Defenseless receivers -- The concussion lawsuits -- The minimization of the kickoff -- Lowering the helmet -- The Pro Bowl -- The in-game concussion conundrum -- The pandemic -- Part VII: off-field player misconduct -- The Whizzinator -- The love boat -- Reggie Bush -- Pacman Jones -- Mike Vick -- Plaxico Burress -- Brett Favre -- Aaron Hernandez -- Ray Rice -- Ezekiel Elliott -- Antonio Brown -- Deshaun Watson -- Part VIII: major scandals -- The Janet Jackson incident -- Spygate I -- Spygate II -- Bountygate -- Bullygate -- Michael Sam -- Deflategate -- Colin Kaepernick -- Jerry Richardson -- Spygate III -- Jon Gruden and the WFT emails -- Part IX: officiating -- Replay review -- The tuck rule -- Super Bowl XL -- Scott Green's irrelevant (not really) mistake -- The Santonio Holmes missed call -- The Fail Mary -- The index card incident -- The catch rule -- The Rams-Saints debacle -- The worst rule in football -- Part X: the future -- The proliferation of sports betting -- The injury report -- The Tim Donaghy dynamic -- Sky judge -- Protecting inside information -- The playoff seeding formula -- Expansion -- The best approach to overtime -- Protecting the mental health of players -- Global domination -- Corporate ownership -- Alternative leagues -- Acknowledgments.

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9781541700185

154170018X

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796.332 Florio