Sunday Morning Quarterback: Going Deep on the Strategies, Myths, and Mayhem of Football – Debunking Clichés and Revealing the Tactical Secrets that Define NFL Success

by Phil Simms, Vic Carucci

An in-depth and surprising look at the game, Sunday Morning Quarterback will dramatically change the way you watch football. You've heard all the football clichés: "Their offense is too predictable," or "They've got to win the turnover battle," or "They didn't make any halftime adjustments." Perhaps you've heard them so often that you've come to see them as obvious truths. Phil Simms, after an illustrious career as a Super Bowl–winning quarterback and a broadcaster, is here to tell you that these -- and many other blanket statements taken as gospel -- are all myths, and whoever says them has no idea of what they're talking about. Drilling deep into the core of football, Simms also shows the hidden signs that players look for that can determine the outcome of a game. Whether it's discovering how a linebacker positions his feet before he blitzes or how to react if the safety is eight or nine yards from the line of scrimmage, knowing these "dirty little secrets" gives players and their coaches a tremendous advantage. In addition, Simms shares his insights into the enormous challenges coaches face in today's game, evaluating the top coaches and what makes them successful. He takes a look at some of the greatest players he's played with and against, and what he misses most about the game -- waking up Monday mornings feeling beat up and sore. He looks at the next generation of football players -- his son, Tampa Bay's Chris Simms, among them. Through it all, Simms shares stories from his playing days with Bill Parcells and the New York Giants, and the inside access he's had as an announcer for one of the top NFL broadcasting teams in football. Fun and lively, Sunday Morning Quarterback should be required reading for anyone who loves football.

Genres: Sports, Football, Nonfiction, Biography

224 pages, Paperback

First published October 26, 2004

Reviews

[Marty Monforte · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, Phil Simms addresses different issues that he has encountered as a player and as a broadcaster. It is a simple and good book about football that fans may find interesting and informative.

Simms talks about how important it is to watch game tape and not just reviewing the statistics from a game. Watching what happened during the game can give the fan more information on how good a team is or why a team won a game and another team lost a game.

Different cliches about football are looked at by Simms. He discusses why some of these cliches are not always true. He emphasizes that coaches prepare for every game and that it is easy to second guess a coaches' decisions or how a team plays. Fans and observers of football do not always need to second guess a coaches' decisions or a player's performances. Coaches and players invest a lot of time in preparing for a game. They do their best and are often prepared for each game.

For instance, it is easy to judge a quarterback by the statistics from the game. However, if a quarterback's statistics are not good, it may be because a quarterback did not have enough time to throw the football and find an open receiver. There may be different reasons why a quarterback did not put up good numbers during a game. Simms points this out and points out other things that help people to learn more about football.

Simms also emphasizes that halftime adjustments made by a coaching staff are often simple adjustments. He points out that most teams make adjustments during the game, not just at half time.

A number of good coaches are highlighted in the book. Different coaches that have been successful are discussed by Simms. He talks about why some of these coaches are good.

Simms discusses his overall opinion about playing in the NFL and broadcasting football games. I liked reading this book, and I learned a lot about what it must be like to play in the NFL, or to prepare for games as a player or as a broadcaster. This is a good and simple book about football and broadcasting. It as an easy book to read and interesting to read.

Simms as a good quarterback in the NFL and is a good broadcaster. This book distills some of his thinking about the NFL.

I would recommend this book for anyone who is interested in the NFL.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a very short 200 pages, the kind where I was reminded of being a college student and changing the font of my term paper to Arial from Times New Roman to make it appear longer than it actually was. But that is not necessarily a bad thing, because Simms does not seem to have too much to say, so his brevity is welcome.

The highlights of this book were the segments where Simms disproves some football myths like "throwing into double coverage" and "only asking the quarterback that manages the game." There were also some interesting tidbits about playing for Bill Parcells and interacting with other football legends like Bill Walsh.

My least favorite segment was the final chapter, where he loses editorial objectivity and brags about his son being an NFL quarterback for the entire chapter.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative book from a former pro player and football announcer/analyst

[Jim Flora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some insights, particularly with regards to what it is like to play QB. Overall, though, a bit thin and not particularly compelling or informative.

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. Non-fiction. Talks about when he played and when he was a broadcaster.