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Drive for Five: The Remarkable Run of the 2016 Patriots
Drive for Five presents the behind-the-scenes look at the legendary 2016 New England Patriots season from the rocky start to the Super Bowl finish by award-winning sportswriter Christopher Price.Foreword by Patriots safety Devin McCourtyAfterword by Patriots wide receiver Matthew SlaterThere are certain moments that simply transcend sports. They become larger than life and bigger than anyone ever thought possible, leaping off the field, the court, or the diamond and into the annals of not only history, but the very fabric of the American milieu. We all just witnessed such a moment on February 5th, 2017, when the New England Patriots battled back from the largest deficit in Super Bowl history to once again become world champions and secure Tom Brady’s legacy as the greatest quarterback of all time. Amid a season of controversy, turmoil, and the most tumultuous political climate of our lifetime, the Patriots won. In spite of becoming entangled in the national spotlight on several occasions, the Patriots won. And in spite of being faced with any number of circumstances that would sink almost every other franchise in the NFL, the Patriots won.The season began with the fallout around Deflategate and losing their MVP-caliber quarterback for the first four games of the season, but honestly, the Deflategate saga was just a small part of it all.This is the story of how the Patriots rallied together as a team to surpass their obstacles on and off the football field and how that led to a remarkable run to the title – and the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history.Complete with player interviews, behind-the-scenes stories never told before, and content provided by Patriots players themselves, Drive for Five provides a unique level of insight and access to the story behind the legendary New England Patriots’ 2016 season.
- GenresSportsFootballNonfiction
307 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2017
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383 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 13, 2024
I won an ARC of this book in a goodreads drawing.
This book describes the the march by the Patriots to the 2017 Super Bowl. The Patriots are a polarizing team. Some people really like them. Others hate them and think they are cheaters. If you are in the former camp, this book is for you.
Starting with Tom Brady's suspension for deflategate, the Patriots had a tough row to hoe to even get to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. Somehow, they did it. This book tries to tell us how, but it's a bit shallow, compared to other books of this type, and seems rushed.
Not bad, but compared to some of the classics in the field, it has to be considered an also-ran.
This book describes the the march by the Patriots to the 2017 Super Bowl. The Patriots are a polarizing team. Some people really like them. Others hate them and think they are cheaters. If you are in the former camp, this book is for you.
Starting with Tom Brady's suspension for deflategate, the Patriots had a tough row to hoe to even get to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. Somehow, they did it. This book tries to tell us how, but it's a bit shallow, compared to other books of this type, and seems rushed.
Not bad, but compared to some of the classics in the field, it has to be considered an also-ran.
August 12, 2017
The New England Patriots have been one of the most successful franchises in all of professional sports in the last fifteen years. They have won five Super Bowls in that time frame and the latest one, Super Bowl LI, was the biggest comeback win for any team in Super Bowl history. The story of that championship season for the Patriots is captured in this well written, well researched book by Christopher Price.
This championship was probably the most unusual of the five for New England because of the controversy and turmoil surrounding the team through most of the season. It started when quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for four games after the investigation into the “Deflategate” controversy. It continued with the sudden trade of linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns and even ventured into the tumultuous 2016 presidential election when Donald Trump mentioned Brady and coach Bill Belichick during the campaign.
Despite all this, the Patriots managed to win three of the four games without Brady and maintain a professional demeanor off the field and a winning performance on it. How they did it is captured beautifully through Price’s writing. His access to the players and coaches was a key factor in bringing the reader inside the team’s locker room (his account of how a player is picked to get “The Locker” was great writing) and the players’ insights.
Much like the season on the field, the book builds to a climax as the Patriots earn the top seed during the regular season, win two playoff games, then pull off the incredible comeback against the Atlanta Falcons. There is no need to recap all of those games in this review – the book does a fantastic job of doing that. Even though readers will most likely already know the results, it felt like reading a dramatic novel when the Patriots were making their historic run in the fourth quarter and overtime of Super Bowl LI.
Something that makes this book stand out is all parts of the entire team – offense, defense and special teams – are featured in the book. While Brady captures a majority of the text (much like any quarterback dominates the play and coverage of professional football today), Price does a very good job of featuring others such as Collins, running back James White (whom Brady himself said should have been the Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl) and kicker Steve Gostkowski.
There are passages in the book where Price does show a bit of “homerism” toward the Patriots, such as a passage in which he believes there is a double standard on offensive pass interference calls on tight end Rob Gronkowski. There are not too many of these to make the book too much of a “homer” book and as is the case with many books about teams or players that have long stretches of success, there is a little chest puffing about the accomplishments. That is understandable and at times, as it is here, perfectly fine to brag.
This is an outstanding book on a remarkable football team and is one that every Patriots fan will want to read to relive the 2016-17 season. Even more neutral or casual football fans will enjoy reading about this team and its accomplishments.
I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
This championship was probably the most unusual of the five for New England because of the controversy and turmoil surrounding the team through most of the season. It started when quarterback Tom Brady was suspended for four games after the investigation into the “Deflategate” controversy. It continued with the sudden trade of linebacker Jamie Collins to the Cleveland Browns and even ventured into the tumultuous 2016 presidential election when Donald Trump mentioned Brady and coach Bill Belichick during the campaign.
Despite all this, the Patriots managed to win three of the four games without Brady and maintain a professional demeanor off the field and a winning performance on it. How they did it is captured beautifully through Price’s writing. His access to the players and coaches was a key factor in bringing the reader inside the team’s locker room (his account of how a player is picked to get “The Locker” was great writing) and the players’ insights.
Much like the season on the field, the book builds to a climax as the Patriots earn the top seed during the regular season, win two playoff games, then pull off the incredible comeback against the Atlanta Falcons. There is no need to recap all of those games in this review – the book does a fantastic job of doing that. Even though readers will most likely already know the results, it felt like reading a dramatic novel when the Patriots were making their historic run in the fourth quarter and overtime of Super Bowl LI.
Something that makes this book stand out is all parts of the entire team – offense, defense and special teams – are featured in the book. While Brady captures a majority of the text (much like any quarterback dominates the play and coverage of professional football today), Price does a very good job of featuring others such as Collins, running back James White (whom Brady himself said should have been the Most Valuable Player in the Super Bowl) and kicker Steve Gostkowski.
There are passages in the book where Price does show a bit of “homerism” toward the Patriots, such as a passage in which he believes there is a double standard on offensive pass interference calls on tight end Rob Gronkowski. There are not too many of these to make the book too much of a “homer” book and as is the case with many books about teams or players that have long stretches of success, there is a little chest puffing about the accomplishments. That is understandable and at times, as it is here, perfectly fine to brag.
This is an outstanding book on a remarkable football team and is one that every Patriots fan will want to read to relive the 2016-17 season. Even more neutral or casual football fans will enjoy reading about this team and its accomplishments.
I wish to thank St. Martin’s Press for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
September 17, 2017
This book started slowly, but I really enjoyed it once I got into the author's flow. I appreciated that he had access to a number of players, making it a more cohesive and intriguing story. Some of the material has been done to death in the media in the intervening seven months, but some including the way Bill Belichick talked to the team was new.
I'd recommend this for any football fan, but I have a feeling a lot of this would be same old to Pats fans who would know most of this. Solid writing, although a bit repetitive at times when he'd go back and forth in time.
I'd recommend this for any football fan, but I have a feeling a lot of this would be same old to Pats fans who would know most of this. Solid writing, although a bit repetitive at times when he'd go back and forth in time.
September 10, 2017
Just in time for the start of a new season, a good behind the scenes look at the 2016 Patriots. More anecdotal then a behind the scenes look like Michael Holley's books. A few edits a copy editor missed that jumped off the page. Reading "1 field goal" or "1 two-point safety" read weird and drove me nuts, but Price is a great writer and knows football better than most. For a Patriots fan, a must read. For a football fan outside of New England, probably not the best book to nab off the shelf.
December 19, 2017
Emocionante relato. Desde las palabras previas cuando McCourty describe lo que diferencia a este equipo de los Patriots de otro hasta las mejores citas de MartyB. Fue una historica temporada y este libro es la mejor recopilación que se puede tener. Desde los 3QB hasta la más grande remontada en la historia del Super Bowl.
Me gustó mucho.
Me gustó mucho.
December 16, 2017
Drive for Five was an incredible looking inside the title run of the 2016 Patriots. The book contain great insight into what it took to win the NFL title. Price did an outstanding job of putting together stories that made the season come to life.
January 22, 2018
Definitely a good read for a Patriots fan. Okay for a general football fan. Not so good if not a football fan. The sports writing was generally pretty good. Might be a book for coaches from other teams.
October 10, 2017
Fun read about the 2016 Patriots. Nice mixture of game recap and behind the scenes info.
October 26, 2017
An interesting read-a lot of info I didn't know. I enjoyed it very much. A must read for a football fan! Thanks Goodreads Giveaway for another great book!
November 13, 2017
Overview of championship 2016 season.
July 23, 2021
My first audiobook. I really enjoyed it. I’m going to listen to another.
January 5, 2022
Loved this, but I am admittedly biased! Love my Patriots and this was a fun walk down memory lane.
May 30, 2022
Malcolm Butlers Superbowl play in the book is unbelievable and I also liked how Christopher price put detail and I like the forewood and the afterword by Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews