Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0: How to Watch Football by Knowing Where to Look

by Pat Kirwan, David Seigerman, Pete Carroll (Foreword)

Renowned NFL analysts' tips to make football more accessible, colorful, and compelling than ever before More and more football fans are watching the NFL each week, but many of them don't know exactly what they should be watching. What does the offense's formation tell you about the play that's about to be run? When a quarterback throws a pass toward the sideline and the wide receiver cuts inside, which player is to blame? Why does a defensive end look like a Hall of Famer one week and a candidate for the practice squad the next? These questions and more are addressed in Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0, a book that takes readers deep inside the perpetual chess match between offense and defense. This book provides clear and simple explanations to the intricacies and nuances that affect the outcomes of every NFL game. This updated edition contains recent innovations from the 2015 NFL season.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 2015

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been looking for a football book which explains player selection, game strategy, play calling, running and pass patterns. I found it here in this book that I bought at the Bear Pond Book Store in Stowe VT. The author , Pat Kirwan, has spent his adult life working as a football commentator and in coaching staffs and front offices of NFL teams.

This is a book that tells you the difference between a nickel package & a dime package, the Will & Sam Linebacker and a 3-4 defense & a 4-3 defense. It's thorough and interesting; the 2.0 edition comes with a DVD of him chalkboarding plays from the book. This video gives an idea about the depth of the explanations :
https://realfootballnetwork.com/2015/...

He has a system for Football scorebooking similar to what one does for baseball.

Great explanation of the play calling for the 2015 Superbowl and the Malcolm Butler interception.

Great inside information & stories about Jets, Pats, & Bills (as well as other teams) that illustrate his points in the book .

Pat's website and podcast can be found here: https://realfootballnetwork.com/rfn-s...

Recommended.

[Edrick Willie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my announcement to the goodreads community that this season, I will be contributing to the Cal football coverage at writeforcalifornia.substack.com, and I am STUDYING. UP.

[Dan Glozier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me a lot longer to read than I would’ve wanted it to, but it clashed with other things happening, so it was unavoidable.

That being said, reading this in the lead up to the football season and throughout the first month of the season provided me a unique opportunity to apply some of the practices and principles in the book as I’ve been watching the games on Sundays, and whilst working College Football games on Saturdays to a lesser extent.

Pat Kirwan is clearly a genius when it comes to the game and I can listen to true football heads talk about the sport for hours. He laid out everything written in such a digestible format. I think even as someone who has been a fan for a long time, coached the sport and now works in the sport, I still learned lots of new things that will help in my general knowledge, but the casual football fan would really benefit from reading this.

I can see this being a fixture that I read every year in the lead up to the football season, and consult throughout the year.

[Ryan Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This a great book for people who want to expand their knowledge of football. A deep dive on strategies, terminology, football culture, and team building. It’s a little dated with examples but still relevant. Not too dense and well written and accessible for every football fan. Highly recommend.

[Roger Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

First half dives into the fundamentals and a little more of play calling and the intricacies of applying those strategies and tactics on the field. Second half goes into more scouting, rulebook and overall front office management. Good job explaining some of the complexities of the game. Worth the read

[Dr Goon Taco Supreme · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I think I understood about 70% of this book— give or take. I’d be reading along and following fine and then BLAM off the topic would go and I’d be left in the dust.

I think it’s me and not the book. The material was just too advanced for me. I’m just a fan and I enjoy watching the games on tv but I don’t always know what’s going on. I need instant replay.

I’m gonna read “The Complete Idiots Guide to Football,” next. I probably should have read that first but it’s whatevs 🤷‍♀️

[Andrew Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a football fan for decades. But it seemed like the game's strategy and terminology was passing me by. Terms such as "11 personnel" and "Cover 2 defense" weren't around when I began to love the game.

Kirwan's book admirably fills that void. He explains all one needs to know to comprehend football jargon. More than that, Kirwan teaches you how to become a student of the game so that football becomes even more enjoyable. A few of the many nuggets in this book include how to predict what play is upcoming based on personnel grouping, down and distance, place on the field, and time left in the half; what goes on during a typical week during the season; and how to keep a scorecard (much like in baseball).

While waiting for a 202x update of this 2015 edition, I spend too much time listening to Kirwan and Jim Miller on their late afternoon Sirius XM program "Moving the Chains". If you love football, you should too. Of course, after reading this book. Remember: take your eye off the ball.

[Justin Orman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up bored by football. Several years ago I started watching more after joining a fantasy football league with some friends. Seeing this book on Amazon recently I was interested in reading it to better understand the game of football. While I'm not enough of a details person to observe all that the author describes in the book while watching live, knowing the information helps me appreciate more what I'm watching. Being the type of person who enjoys analytics in sports and background information, I found the book a fascinating read. I think anyone who is interested in football, whether a casual fan or those more heavily invested in it, would find something to interest and educate them in this book.

Bottom line: if you don't like football, don't expect this book to change your mind (although it could); if you like football, you'd probably enjoy this read.

[Mike Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most casual football fans direct all their attention to whoever’s holding the ball. Moreover, the popularity of fantasy sports over the past 20 plus years have relegated the fan experience to focusing on limited statistics such as rushing / receiving / passing yards, TDs, and turnovers. As the book’s title implies, here former coach and NFL analyst Pat Kirwan teaches appreciation for the complexity of the game by highlighting the level of physicality, intelligence, and gamesmanship required for each and every position. The opening lesson is recognizing offensive personnel before each snap, denoted by a two digit number representing how many running backs and tight ends are on the field (for example, 11 personnel means one RB, one TE, and three WR). The offensive personnel, plus down and distance, has high predictive value in whether we should expect a run or a pass play. The defense, in turn, may counter with its own package. Returning to the 11 personnel example, three WRs might come against a nickel package (i.e., five defensive backs (DBs) consisting of three cornerbacks and two safeties). Sensing this in advance, the offense might have its power running back on the field to exploit the mismatch up front.
In addition to breaking down each position in great detail (e.g., the differences between the X, Z, slot, and Y wide receivers) there is also ample discussion about the difference schemes on both sides of the ball, such as why and when a team uses a 3-4 vs. 4-3 defense (Bill Belichick was uniquely able to toggle between 3-4 and 4-3 within the same game and even the same drive), and how such is related to coaching philosophy and draft strategy. The book also delivers a great breakdown of scheduling, both micro (i.e., with 168 hours to prepare before a game) and macro (i.e., starting March 13 of each year for free agency, the April draft, OTAs, and training camp).
Throughout the book Coach Kirwan also has interesting sidebars, for example why Pete Carroll’s infamous decision to call a pass play against the Patriots at the goal line in the final moments of Super Bowl XLIX was not folly. Here’s the basic breakdown: The situation was 2nd Down and Goal with 26 seconds on the clock and one timeout left for Seattle. The Seahawks previously faced 2nd or 3rd and short five times and ran with mixed results (twice Marshawn Lynch converted, and twice he was stopped). On that fateful play, the Patriots had four defensive lineman, four linebackers, and three cornerbacks on the field, which suggests that Belichick positioned his defense to stop the run. Finally, refer again to the clock and single remaining timeout. If Marshawn was stuffed on a run then Seattle would have been forced to use their final timeout, making it obvious that it would need to throw the ball on 3rd down.
Imo this book is an absolute must read.

[Flávio Sousa · Rating 3 out of 5]

You will see this book mentioned frequently - either in online communities or algorithmically - as a book that will kickstart your understanding of the folk science of Giridon. It's a rather ubiquitous mention that makes it seem like it is loved by all NFL enthusiasts, Which is why I was surprised to find that as an intermediate watcher of the game, the vision of this book misses on delivering a coherent, robust read to any potential intended audience.

Don't get me wrong; You will surely be entertained (not a herculean task when you have a passion for the game), but you are guaranteed to be frustrated by unanswered questions and concepts you came to the book to find.

It is NOT a book for beginners, as no preparation for the reader is done in terms of rules and roles - Why would we need to read about the difference between a Tuesday and Wednesday in training camp when we haven't been breached on the difference between a halfback and a fullback? Can you explain what a legal formation is? How about touching upon all the flags and penalties we see every Sunday?

It's not for the intermediate as it often excuses itself from detailing crucial concepts such as formations and routes - Can we talk about a bit even about Sail, Post, and Corner concepts? (While we are it wildcat, pistol is mentioned without little nuance other than the obvious distance between personnel) before attacking the nuances of 4-3 vs. 3-4 defenses?

It's not for the advanced as it meanders in very basic or outright superfluous topics too often - Do advanced readers really need to have explained to them the difference between 11 and 12 personnel? Is there really that much ground to break on the Combine and Draft day?

The Q&A, adds levity to the reading; however, it fails to do anything that couldn't be done in pure prose, perhaps in fewer lines.

It tries to serve every level of the reader's knowledge - from the nascent to the savant - and fails to deliver a robust product to any. If you understand this and unsheath the cover, knowing you're getting a somewhat-reference table book, it is a serviceable read. Otherwise, I would avoid this book and give another oft-suggested book, such as Blood, sweat, and Chalk.

[Sampath Duddu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for people looking to take their football knowledge to the next level. I came into it knowing the rules of football, and some basic strategy but came out with a much more greater appreciation for the sport and its intricacies. It is crazy to think about how complex a sport it really is.

I like that Pat goes position by position in most of this book and talks about the qualities needed in a certain type of player as well as what the player is responsible for when on the field. There is so much content that it is honestly hard to remember a lot of the terminology and details, so I would suggest reading this during the height of football season (will probably do that myself because I'm also a visual learner so reading about in a book is not the best medium) and try to apply what you've learned when watching some of the less important games. Right out of the gates, you can tell what the formations are and if you track that over time, you can better predict what an offense or defense will do.

I really wish Pat Kirwan was a bit more prominent on Twitter or sports media because there are not that many great prominent knowledgable football personalities out there (Warren Sharp, Dan Orlovsky come to mind). Everything today is just high-level debate fodder, but if you really want to learn and be able to better experience the game, this is a good start.

[N · Rating 3 out of 5]

the number of steps a quarterback drops is usually half the number of steps a receiver will take before the ball is delivered. If a quarterback is in a seven-step drop, the receiver has 14 steps to work with.

A cornerback is trained to read a receiver’s reactions; when the eyes get wide or a receiver starts moving his hands into position to catch the pass, the corner puts his hands in to knock it away. For all of his freakish athletic abilities, Moss’ greatest asset on the fade was his poker face. His eyes gave nothing away, and he never brought up his hands until the ball was virtually on top of him.

pay attention to the cornerback’s alignment on the X receiver. That will help you predict what route that receiver might choose to run. Then watch the quarterback drop back. The number of steps he takes will also narrow down the route possibilities. When an incompletion occurs because the quarterback throws to one spot and the receiver is in another, you probably have enough evidence to determine which player made the wrong decision.

Today, a team must have a contingent of safeties on the roster who as a group can perform these four functions: drop into the box to support the run; play deep middle coverage; cover half the field in two-deep coverage; and blitz. If a team can find a guy who has three of those traits, it will probably try to lock him up with a seven-year contract.

[Andre Siregar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love watching American football as a hobby and this book made me appreciate the sport so much more. The very first time I watched a football game, it looked like chaos. This book does a great job in peeling the onion and explaining the different aspects of the game to make sense of the "chaos". The book does not just cover how the game is played by the players on the field -- it also talks about game-planning and preparation by the coaches and even management of the teams by the people in the business (the GM, etc.).

If you already have some familiarity of football and want to learn more about it, this book is very entertaining and educational. I even found a few nuggets that can be applied to my world in IT. For example:
- Game preparation ritual (the daily schedule from Monday to Saturday, leading up to the game on Sunday) is very applicable in agile software development
- Having a playbook, e.g. scripted plan by the offense to react based on what the defense looks like -- similar philosophy in preparing against system incidents/problems
- Recruiting players, e.g. evaluating for football-intelligence or physical measurable to fit your team and your football strategy
- Analytics: not just valuable in football, but also in the business world

[Fab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book completely changed the way I watch American football. I already thought the game was a strategic one full of complexities but I had no idea just how much there is to this sport when you really understand it.

I’m in no way a professional after reading this but now I definitely understand all the lingo that coaches and broadcasters are saying about the games and I’m able to better understand what might lead to the success or failure of a given play. Pat has written an incredible book that properly explains the game to the average fan. I also really enjoyed the sections that talk about how a pro NFL team does certain things like manage their week during the season, how they deal with injuries, how they approach the draft, dealing with the rulebook changes etc. The included DVD was also an incredibly informative supplement to the book.

I’d recommend this book to any football fan looking to better understand the game. I’m hoping to play football competitively later this year and this book just made a huge difference to how much I understand about how the game is played.

[Tacitus · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is in need of a 3.0, as some of the “recent” examples are from 2014 and include players from that time that have retired or even died, like Eli Manning or Junior Seau.

In terms of football knowledge, the book is not for raw beginners, as familiarity with football terminology is required. It even may be too “inside football” for many casual fans. Some web searching helped me over that hump, though, and I was able to get more out of it as a result.

Otherwise, the content itself is useful in helping a reader understand what goes on behind the scenes during the off-season and each game week, as well as in the games themselves. Kirwan brings to the surface a lot of details that go into picking certain players and plays, the “why” of football.

For example, Kirwan explains how tight end roles have evolved and versatile, big players can keep a defense off balance and guessing. Running backs tend to be young because, in a version of Moneyball, they are cheaper than quarterbacks and receivers and at their peak performance, which falls off by they reach 30. Every position get this kind of background and insight, more than you’ll often find on fluffy and loud pre-game shows.

Even if you can get past the jargon and players you have never seen play, the prose is sometimes disjointed and not clearly organized, often making it difficult to follow. Yet, the gems of knowledge that you’ll discover are worth the dig. It’ll also be a good reference to return to, assuming the dated content is still relevant then.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for football fans looking to dive further into the game. A lot of modern advanced football lingo is rarely explained. I played for 10 years in my adolescence, and there were numerous terms and concepts that I still didn't fully understand. Take Your Eye Off the Ball helps to flesh out that understanding and connect more dots.

The only drawback is that some sections are significantly influenced by Pat Kirwan's subjective opinions. This is a generally good resource for objective information, but it's intermingled with Kirwan's personal preferences on team composition, player attributes, and other related matters later in the book. It's not a huge problem, but it's something readers should be aware of prior to reading.

Overall, I would strongly recommend Take Your Eye Off the Ball to any football fan short of those working in the game professionally, as you'll almost certainly learn a few things and better your understanding of the game.

[Jimbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came to this book thinking that I already knew pretty much all that I needed to know about the American variant of football. How wrong I was. This book took my preconceived notions, ripped them up and threw them away: in a word this book is essential.

I would say that a relatively advanced knowledge is required before you tackle this book. This goes quite low level which is excellent for those wanting that detail, but not so good for a beginner.

My only regret is buying the kindle version of this book. This is one book where a hard copy is essential, as you will want to make notes and flick back to certain points to refresh your knowledge. The kindle version is no way able to match the hard copy in this respect.

This is, without doubt, the best book I have ever read on the greatest sport in the world.

[chelso presto · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 because it’s not as fan friendly as it claims to be. You’ll struggle to understand what you’re reading if you have limited football knowledge beforehand, but this is also probably because I’ve never played football before. I found myself having to read the first half of the book veryyyyy slowly because it builds on itself and again, since I’ve never played football, a lot of it felt very foreign even though I’m an avid fan. The second half of the book was a much faster read and easier to understand by far.

Overall, I loved this book and it grew my appreciation for the players, coaches, staff and the game in general. I’ve had a respect for football, but there is so much more strategy and intelligence to it than I realized. Especially love that the author equips you with charts and ways to watch the game like a coach or scout! Such a great book

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good news is this book does exactly what it says it will; watching football now for me is an exercise in recognizing personnel packages, nickel coverage, zone versus man, and zone versus angle blocking. My disappointment was that most of this practical, in-game strategy education was confined to the first half of the book, and the second half was not a deeper dive but a diversion into draft strategy and other off-the-field matters. In these later sections of the book, the tone becomes decidedly more opinionated and subjective, which dulled their effect on me a little. Annoyingly, Kirwin also skips a lot of basic football terminology, so I found a certain amount of outside research necessary to keep up. Overall, still a very useful tool for the casual football fan.

[Alastair Savin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned an absolute ton about this game that I’m starting to love. The complexity in the strategy is mind boggling and drawn to the point where it meets the athleticism of the players.

Whilst I still hate how overspecialised all of the positions are, like seriously there is a guy who comes on to punt the ball 5-6 times a game and that is all he does, I can understand the reason for it know better than I did.

I still prefer rugby as the players there are less programmed machines and more playing what is in front of them.

[Dr. Cassie Guzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having grown up in a family that prioritized Sunday Night Football just as much as Sunday mass, this book was a good crash course in understanding and appreciating game strategy. Despite having watched football on a weekly basis, the terms, plays, and analytics were never explained to me. I wouldn’t say this book is necessarily for beginners, but it is for those who want to expand their knowledge on this sport. It does have a glossary at the end of the book which I wish was more inclusive of terms used throughout the book.

[Tyler Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book made me more knowledgeable of football strategy, which I found helpful, but it doesn’t go into any detail in places I would have expected. For example, defensive coverages are discussed only at a very high level, and technique in general is rarely covered at all. Significant portions are rants about NFL rules or procedures, which I found less interesting. The book should also use more diagrams to explain concepts.

[Tom Richmond · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I don’t believe this is a good choice for a reader new to the sport, Take Your Eye Off The Ball offers an excellent insight for the NFL fan into how those in the business view football both on-field and off-field. It gives a deep dive upon the responsibilities of each position, and uses real world examples to demonstrate how a scheme, formation or theory can be successfully employed.

The book loses a bit of its intrigue in the later chapters which, while providing interesting information about the business side of the game, felt tacked on, and did not flow well with the rest of the book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an avid football fan who enjoys watching games and listening to radio talk about the game, this book is great. It combines simple language with real examples to brilliantly illustrate all the nuances of professional football. Whether you are just starting to follow the sport or you’ve enjoyed it since you were a kid, there’s something in this book to help bring more enjoyment to your football watching experience. Highly recommend!

[Joe Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fine insight into the world of NFL pros. Somewhat technical but not too tough to read and understand. A fair amount of information about things like zone blocking, zone coverage, the 3-4 and the 4-3 defense, and other things that help give a solid understanding to the basic fan. Answers what you are seeing on the football field and why without going deep into coach speak that gets tough to understand for some of us.

[Jose Miguel Guerrero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro esencial para entender más de este hermoso deporte. Pat Kirwan crea un puente para pasar de ser un aficionado observador a uno estudiado. Kirwan utiliza un lenguaje simple, que complementa con casos reales que mantienen vivo el interés del lector. Fue escrito en 2015 así que ojalá pronto haya una reedición. De mis libros favoritos.

[Evan Kostelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for the wealth of information contained in this book. The author details the jobs of each player on the field, including specific play types that are run. He then describes the front office roles during and between seasons.

As a football fan, this should be a must read to get more out of football games.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would rate this book 2.5. It was interesting and I did learn a bit, but it was a bit too technical, and the author didn't have enough examples. There was an expectation to already know some of the jargon, which defeats the purpose of the book. On a positive note, I will not look at the game of football the same again.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read to get some more in-depth understanding of the game. As a long time spectator this opened my eyes to certain concepts and jargon that I was previously unfamiliar with (or had heard of but didn't quite understand). Would recommend to fans of the sport who want to learn more about the technical side of the game.

[Balazs Faluvegi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a well built up book

The authors are all over the place and jump from one topic to the other sometimes from paragraph to paragraph with stories and examples, instead of theory and practice. Their knowledge is unquestionable and there is good value in the book, but the structure and the way of writing is pretty bad. Feels like a missed field goal.