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NFL Brawler: A Player-Turned-Agent's Forty Years in the Bloody Trenches of the National Football League
NFL Brawler is a raucous first-person account of an NFL under siege by the game's first player-turned-agent, Ralph Cindrich, the original "Blind Side" agent. This entertaining pro football memoir takes listeners behind the scenes of the game's most important and outrageous drafts, deals, and trades; takes on NFL scandals by telling it like it is; and takes listeners closer to the real action of the sport—from locker rooms to boardrooms, and into the worlds of agents and players—than any book to date.
Chronicling more than thirty years in the professional football business, Ralph Cindrich, twice named by the Sporting News as one of the 100 most powerful people in sports, writes about the who's who of professional football: NFL personnel like Jimmy Johnson, Bill Polian, and Bill Parcells; NFL owners like Art Rooney and Al Davis; sports agents; and, of course, NFL players like Herschel Walker, Bill Fralic, and James Farrior.
While taking certain aspects of his beloved sport to task, Cindrich delivers a memoir that is a must-listen for any fan of the game.
Chronicling more than thirty years in the professional football business, Ralph Cindrich, twice named by the Sporting News as one of the 100 most powerful people in sports, writes about the who's who of professional football: NFL personnel like Jimmy Johnson, Bill Polian, and Bill Parcells; NFL owners like Art Rooney and Al Davis; sports agents; and, of course, NFL players like Herschel Walker, Bill Fralic, and James Farrior.
While taking certain aspects of his beloved sport to task, Cindrich delivers a memoir that is a must-listen for any fan of the game.
MP3 CD
First published August 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 23, 2015
The only likeable sports agent I've read about (other than Jerry Maguire, who was fictional) has penned a surprisingly good read, primarily anecdotes about negotiation trench warfare with colorful but egomaniacal GMs and coaches.
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November 17, 2015A good read. What I perceive as factural...
January 28, 2016
Small town Avella, PA came to life in the early part of Cindrich's book, but you had to know Aliquippa was going to come up. Somehow it always does in football tales so it's only fitting that he & Mary ended up marrying there. I enjoyed the underlying child of immigrant stories in the early parts of the book - such a classic tale in the early/mid 20th century especially in such a blue collar area. Small Town USA.
As much as this book was a tribute to NFL Pioneers in Art Rooney, Joe Robbie and Bill Polian, it was in many ways also a tribute to the changing field/work of NFL agents. Having not read or seen The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, I hadn't previously realized the pivotal role that Cindrich played in the field. It was also great to see someone whose career was cut short due to injury forge a second and life-long career within his favorite sport. Reading some of the protracted contract negotiations with folks like Billy Fralic and Al Toon make you realize how different the game is now, especially with the new CBA. Rookie holdouts are almost extinct.
From following Cindrich on twitter, I knew some of the stories of his more recent clients but I enjoyed the in depth profile of some of the others including James Farrior, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Saturday and Zach Strief. A nice look at the inside world of agents beyond what makes the news.
Yes-the writing could use some polish in some areas but I don't read sports memoirs expecting a Pulitzer, so this didn't detract from the reading experience for me. I felt like I was listening to Cindrich tell stories-which is part of what I loved.
As much as this book was a tribute to NFL Pioneers in Art Rooney, Joe Robbie and Bill Polian, it was in many ways also a tribute to the changing field/work of NFL agents. Having not read or seen The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, I hadn't previously realized the pivotal role that Cindrich played in the field. It was also great to see someone whose career was cut short due to injury forge a second and life-long career within his favorite sport. Reading some of the protracted contract negotiations with folks like Billy Fralic and Al Toon make you realize how different the game is now, especially with the new CBA. Rookie holdouts are almost extinct.
From following Cindrich on twitter, I knew some of the stories of his more recent clients but I enjoyed the in depth profile of some of the others including James Farrior, Rodney Hampton, Jeff Saturday and Zach Strief. A nice look at the inside world of agents beyond what makes the news.
Yes-the writing could use some polish in some areas but I don't read sports memoirs expecting a Pulitzer, so this didn't detract from the reading experience for me. I felt like I was listening to Cindrich tell stories-which is part of what I loved.
March 5, 2018
It was pretty good for a while, then I got sick of it.
I don't like his tone. He's been an NFL agent for 40 years, and if this book is to be believed, he's won every negotiation he's ever been involved in. There's no mention of any mistakes that were made at any point along the way.
He's tough. He's a bad ass. He's the most honest guy in his field. And he's not afraid to got head to head against any NFL owner to brawl for a great deal for his clients. That's what you get for 200-plus pages.
I would have appreciated more stories from behind the scenes. There were a few, I guess. He lets us know that Bob Irsay (former Colts owner) has a drinking problem. He says he and teammates autographed a centerfold photo of Dan Pastorini's wife and posted it in his locker. He says he was getting ready to punch out a drunk Jimmy Johnson in a bar at one point. But there could have been a few more of those stories. He never, for example, identifies by name any of the other agents (who seemingly all are bad guys in comparison to himself). He says he hated his first coach, Chuck Fairbanks (New England) but doesn't say why.
Book is fine. No errors that I saw (and I usually spot a few). Worth a look for big fans of the NFL game.
But I've read a half-dozen other books on NFL figures in the past few years, and all of them have been a notch better than this one (Walter Payton, Brett Favre, Bill Parcells, Steve Young, Cowboys of the '90s, "The NFL, Year One", Bruce Arians).
I don't like his tone. He's been an NFL agent for 40 years, and if this book is to be believed, he's won every negotiation he's ever been involved in. There's no mention of any mistakes that were made at any point along the way.
He's tough. He's a bad ass. He's the most honest guy in his field. And he's not afraid to got head to head against any NFL owner to brawl for a great deal for his clients. That's what you get for 200-plus pages.
I would have appreciated more stories from behind the scenes. There were a few, I guess. He lets us know that Bob Irsay (former Colts owner) has a drinking problem. He says he and teammates autographed a centerfold photo of Dan Pastorini's wife and posted it in his locker. He says he was getting ready to punch out a drunk Jimmy Johnson in a bar at one point. But there could have been a few more of those stories. He never, for example, identifies by name any of the other agents (who seemingly all are bad guys in comparison to himself). He says he hated his first coach, Chuck Fairbanks (New England) but doesn't say why.
Book is fine. No errors that I saw (and I usually spot a few). Worth a look for big fans of the NFL game.
But I've read a half-dozen other books on NFL figures in the past few years, and all of them have been a notch better than this one (Walter Payton, Brett Favre, Bill Parcells, Steve Young, Cowboys of the '90s, "The NFL, Year One", Bruce Arians).
October 16, 2017
This is a must read for any NFL fan. Ralph Cindrich speaks forthrightly and credibly as a former player and sports agent. Great insight into the dynamics between players and owners in the modern NFL; his barstool stories and first-hand anecdotes salted throughout the book make it a most interesting read. I would love to hear his take on the upcoming Collective Bargaining Agreement and the future of the sport. He has its pulse.
March 23, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of the game and it was refreshing to hear things from an agent’s perspective. Patricia Traina, a NY Giants beat writer I respect, recommended this and it did not disappoint.
May 20, 2023
Cindrich tells his story well, though he's so successful in every aspect of it that it is hard to believe there aren't plenty of people out there who could tell the other side of some of these stories.
January 10, 2022
Interesting biography of an NFL player turned sports agent.
August 13, 2016
This is the BEST book I've ever read, which combines sports, law, and the art of communication in life. Ralph Cindrich will keep you captivated via humorous stories, showing how deals are crafted and some classic stories about how relationships are formed in professional sports. Ralph will show you why it's important to never burn bridges in business; especially a close-knit fraternity like the NFL - which stands for Not For Long! Ralph personally emailed me back about an internship when I was in undergrad. He's a darn good story-teller, a genuine person & a no BS, straight-shooter. The kind of folk you find from Western PA! Do yourself a favor, read this book and learn about the art of the deal way before Donald Trump ever even thought about writing his book! Bravo Mr. Cindrich!!
February 23, 2016
Took me a while to get into this book, but really this s a book for anyone who is interested in the NFL; more specifically on the issue of contracts and free agency. Basically its a collection of stories from the author and also it shows the development of contracts in the NFL. Other than that, I think the latter part of this book is really good as it shows how the author looks out for the best interest of his clients. There's also a part on the issue of concussions in the NFL which is good for reading and understanding. Definitely a good read.
January 17, 2016
If you have any interest in the behind-the-scenes side of football, and what "Show Me The Money!!!" really looks like, this book will be fun. The guy's kind of a blowhard, but it IS his story, so I guess he can tell it the way he wants to. I liked it. Didn't recognize many names of players he repped, but it was interesting how negotiation worked, decades ago and recently.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews